Mass Effect 2: GotT
by Reviewer543
Summary: Sovereign has been defeated and Saren's army was routed. Slavers had tried to get revenge, but he stopped them. Now he must ally himself with the shadowy organization that created him to save human colonies whose populations are disappearing by the thousands. Multi-class Shepard. Harem. DISCLAIMER: I OWN NOTHING NOR PROFIT FROM THIS!
1. MIA-Genesis

**Okay, so here we go. First I want to say sorry for making all of you wait. I have no excuse nor do I believe you all want to hear it. So here we go the Prologue for Mass Effect 2: GotT! Please enjoy!**

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Summary of what happened in Bring Down the Sky: After the defeat of Sovereign, Shepard and the Normandy crew left for Pinnacle station, a Council training station run by Admiral Ahern. There, Shepard and his team had to complete several simulation scenarios that had different environmental situations. Each new simulation became tougher each time, but the team pulled through to the point where they set the record for all scores. After completing the simulation Ahern had personally made, the Normandy crew traveled to Intai'Sei to check out Shepard's new apartment which he had won in a bet with Ahern. Realizing that Shepard, and by extension a majority of the ground team, would be leaving the crew decided to through one last party together. Drinks and food was served, people were taking rides in the mako, shooting at empty bottles, and for the finale, Shepard had set up a fireworks display. Then came when the day the Normandy crew left... without Shepard. They said their goodbyes and parted on great terms, some more than others. It was only afterwards that things became complicated.

After leaving Intai'Sei's system, Phoenix, the Normandy was ambushed after exiting the relay network in the Horsehead Nebula for a fuel-run. Batarian extremists had trapped the Normandy at the edge of the Pax System. The batarians did not fire on them but merely disabled the ship. Realizing what was going to happen, the crew braced themselves to be boarded, a majority of them having their own weapon. The batarians sent a message through the ship before boarding: "Fire on us, we destroy the ship and everyone in it." Knowing that the batarians could and would do so the crew lowered their weapons with great reluctance as the batarians boarded. The batarians scoured the ship, looking over it before deeming it 'safe enough.' That was when their leader came aboard, Ka'hairal Balak, one of the meanest batarians the crew had seen. He demanded to know where Shepard was. When asked, none of the crew gave him away. Eventually, Balak found out the Ghost of the Terminus was no longer on the ship and was instead preparing to head back to Omega, where they would be less than likely to get to him. Balak, mulling over a new plan, quickly checked over the Normandy's previous destination and sent 2 teams of batarian soldiers to Intai'Sei before ordering his men to take the entire crew hostage, save one. They left only Jeff 'Joker' Moreau in the Normandy, alone with a message for Shepard's ears alone, but not before punching the pilot in the gut breaking one of his fragile ribs.

By the time the batarian teams arrived on Intai'Sei, it was already night. They quickly sent one team in to find Shepard only to find the place deserted. Quickly ushering in the rest to find out where exactly the Ghost was, they failed to realize that this was a trap. As soon as the last one was inside, the door closed up trapping them before the apartment exploded into a fiery blaze. Shepard, had been waiting for them the entire time, watching from a distant cliff. Believing that will keep them off of him for some time he took his equipment and walked to his personal fighter before journeying back to Omega, unaware of what had happened to his crew. Upon returning to Omega, Shepard was welcomed back into the fold of Aria's ranks only to be devastated by news he had been dreading: Liselle, the woman who Shepard had been seeing for years, had miscarried their baby. Shepard had fallen into a deep depression at the news. It was only through the unexpected intervention of someone else that Shepard was able to pull through it. David Anderson, the person who Shepard nominated for the Human Councilor position had come bearing news of Shepard's crew. Shepard geared himself up in his newly upgraded armor and weapons and traveled back to Council space with Anderson, unknown to him Shepard's AI friend Isaac tagging along, where he found Joker at Huerta Memorial Hospital. After an intense conversation of Joker venting to him about how he should've been there and could've stopped them, Shepard told Joker about what had happened on Omega making the pilot sober out of his rage. They quickly got back on track with Joker passing Balak's message to him: "Come to the place where you butchered us if you want your crew back."

Shepard immediately knew where the message meant, Torfan, the place where he had solidified his reputation as Ghost of the Terminus. Shepard told Joker to get some rest and promised he'd bring everyone back before leaving. He contacted Anderson and told him of where the batarians had taken the crew. Shepard, assistance from the Alliance, laid siege to Torfan again only this time the batarians were ready with a dreadnought on their side. The battle almost destroyed the Alliance forces but Shepard had managed to take it out by attacking the bridge with several well placed shots in his personal fighter. With the battle won, the forces attacked the base with Shepard and Isaac looking for any sign of the crew. He found them, most of them beaten and bruised but otherwise ok. As Shepard escorted them back to the ships, Dr. Chakwas stopped him telling that the ground team had been taken personally by the batarian in charge and said that he must find them quickly. She said that the batarians had mentioned something about Terra Nova, a human colony out in the Exodus Cluster. She urged him to hurry saying that the batarians seemed especially gleeful about whatever it was. Having a new destination in mind, Shepard traveled to the Asgard System of the Exodus Cluster.

Once there, he noticed a large object approaching Terra Nova. He quickly traveled to it and was shocked to see that it was an asteroid being propelled into Terra Nova's orbit. On closer inspection, he noticed that there were fusion torches pushing the asteroid. Without thinking, he quickly dropped onto the asteroid and immediately set out to disable the torches. While on the asteroid he was informed of what happened by one of the engineering team, Kate Bowman over his comm-link. Balak had taken control of one of the slaver operations that was meant to take the team and turned the asteroid on the colony, an act of terrorism not seen since the Krogan Rebellions, and killed a majority of the team themselves. After deactivating the fusion torches, Shepard moved onto the main base where Balak was. On the way he battled a platoon of batarian forces including Slashers, Sentinels, Soldiers, and Brawlers as well as a tank. He was almost overwhelmed by the fight but with his Overdrive he was able to turn the battle around, crushing the tank and managing to kill the enforcers.

Once inside the base, he faced Balak and his remaining forces. In the back was the remaining engineering team and his ground team, trapped with a bomb inside. Balak accused Shepard of being a terrorist to the Hegemony, saying that the reason for the failed slaver operations was solely his fault and that all that he had done was for revenge. Shepard countered saying he never sent an asteroid strike on a batarian colony and that the batarians had pushed themselves into the situation they're in now. Eventually, Balak ended the talk and left Shepard on ultimatum: Let him escape and save his crew or kill him and leave the crew to die. Shepard battled the raging voice inside him, telling him to kill Balak before ruthlessly snuffing the voice out. Balak escaped with his life as well as the teams, but the rest of Balak's forces died trying to kill Shepard.

Shepard was given thanks from both the engineering team as well as the Alliance for his efforts in saving the crew and the colony. He was given new medals for his deeds with congratulations from his friends. After a while, he was asked to use the Normandy to make the trip back to Omega. In fact, Anderson and the Normandy Crew were insisting upon it. Seeing no harm in it, he sent Isaac ahead of him to Omega to make sure things were quiet while he traveled on the Normandy. Before going to Omega, the Normandy was asked to investigate a possible geth presence in the Amada System of the Omega Nebula. Unknown to them, a new enemy has stepped out of the shadows ready to strike a deadly blow...

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 **Now**

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Year 2183: Cronos Station, Anadius, Horsehead Nebula

In a dark room with a black tile floor which held the view of a beautiful supergiant with colors red and blue dominating each other for control sat a man in a metallic chair. This man wore a Giuli Vorn suit styled with several buttons with a chest pocket containing his favorite cigars. He appeared to be in his late forties-early fifties. He had dark brown hair that was turning grey, wore a stern expression, but his most remarkable feature was his eyes. They were light blue instead of being natural; they looked synthetic especially with the circuit pattern of the iris. This man was Jack Harper or otherwise known as the Illusive Man.

The Illusive Man was looking through several screens of information. Each one was holding information about one man. This man had made several big marks in the galaxy, the biggest having been only a few weeks ago, at the battle of the Citadel. Further away from him was a woman. She had dark hair, blue eyes and fair skin. She was clad in a black and white catsuit which clung to her body showing off her curves. This woman was Miranda Lawson, one of the Illusive Man's highest ranking operatives. Even though she was looking out of the window she wasn't paying any attention to the view. She was thinking over what to say. She knew why her boss had called her here. The man that Cerberus had been keeping track of, the man that they had been searching for had revealed himself to the galaxy... and saved it.

"Shepard did everything right. More than we could have hoped for." She spoke in a sophisticated voice that showed her intelligence. "Saving the Citadel, even saving the Council. Humanity has the trust of the entire galaxy..." She turned around to face her boss. "and still it's not enough."

"Our sacrifices have earned the Council's gratitude, but Shepard remains our best hope." The Illusive Man said jiggling his cigar between his fingers before taking a drag out of it. Footsteps echoed around the dark room as a man in lab coat walking out of the darkness and handed a datapad to the Illusive Man who accepted it without looking. The scientist walked away silently.

"But they're sending him to fight geth. Geth!" She uttered the word as if it were absurd. She slowly approached her boss walking through the holographic screens. "We both know they're not the real threat. The Reapers are still out there." She said stopping and putting a hand on her hip.

"And it's up to us to stop them." He finished before blowing out some smoke. Miranda crossed her arms over her sizable bust, giving her boss an impassive look.

"The Council will never trust Cerberus. They'll never accept our help. Even after Humanity has accomplished." She said walking over to his side before looking at the aforementioned screens. She briefly studied the man's profile. "But Shepard... they'll follow him. He's a hero, a bloody icon." She looked back at her boss who could see just smallest hints of doubt. "But he's just one man. If we lose Shepard, humanity might well follow." She finished. The Illusive Man couldn't tell whether she meant that people would stop believing in the Reapers or about Shepard being Subject Alpha. Either way, in both cases Miranda was correct.

"Then see to it that we don't lose him." He said putting his cigar in the ash tray part of his chair's armrest. Miranda took that as her dismissal and left the room. The Illusive Man looked back over the profile. The newest entry in the profile was of the Terra Nova incident in which Shepard stopped the terrorist Balak. The Illusive Man sent spies out searching for the batarian but the trail ended leading to Hegemony space. The Illusive Man took his cigar back up and took another drag out of it. He quickly over the datapad that was given to him before his eyes narrowed at the information. Several ships had gone missing in the Omega Nebula. All human, all missing completely with no trace or trail. Who was capable of doing this?

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Around the same time: Alchera, Amada System, Omega Nebula

The Normandy shot out of FTL and began scanning for any presence behind said disappearances. Inside the ship, the crew was going about their usual business. Up in the cockpit, Joker, the Normandy's pilot, was checking the systems.

"Disengaging FT drives. Emission sinks active. Board is green... we are running silent." From behind the pilot an older in an officer dress blues walked up, looking over a datapad. This man was Charles Pressly, the Normandy's Navigator.

"We're wasting our time. Four days searching up and down this sector, and we haven't found any sign of geth activity." Pressly said as he checked over a screen behind Joker.

"Three ships went missing here in the past month. Something happened to them." Joker replied as he switched through different screens. Pressly hmphed.

"My money's on slavers. The Terminus System is crawling with them." Joker snorted this time.

"You know that if it were slavers Shepard would be on them already. Besides, he seems to think it something else." Pressly looked at him in mild confusion.

"Something else like the geth?" He prompted. Joker turned around to him this time.

"No, like something new. I don't know why, but Shepard seems a bit on edge having thought about it. I mean I asked why he thought it was something else and all he said was, 'It doesn't match the usual patterns. Both geth and slavers would leave some kind of trail or debris.' To be perfectly honest Pressly, Shepard being on edge is not a good sign in the time we've known him and it's making me nervous." Pressly nodded and opened his mouth to respond before he was cut off by a nearby ensign.

"Picking up something on the long range scanner. Unidentified vessel. Looks like a cruiser." Joker heard this and quickly switched his screen to see what the ensign was talking about. Sure enough their was some kind of strange ship on the scanners. Joker quickly began analyzing it with any known ships in their database. Pressly had come over to the ensign to see what she was talking about.

"Doesn't match any known signatures." Joker muttered as he continued to look at the ship. That was when he noticed that it had changed directions.

"Cruiser is changing course. Now on intercept trajectory." The ensign said. Joker's eyes narrowed at the ship in rising suspicion. Could this be what was taking the ships? Was this ship what Shepard had thought of?

"Can't be. Stealth systems are engaged. There's no way a geth ship could-" Pressly said before Joker cut him off on seeing something light up on the ship.

"It's not the geth. Brace for evasive maneuvers!" He yelled. Pressly quickly switched off the stealth system before Joker swerved the ship out of the way. The Cruiser fired a yellow beam of energy at the frigate. The Normandy quickly moved out of the way only to have one of its thrusters sheared by the beam which went through both the shields and armor as if they weren't there at all. The blow overloaded some of the systems which caused several consoles to exploded one of which caught Pressly.

"Aaaah!" Joker heard as he tried to right the Normandy. He heard the Ensign yell Pressly's name before another explosion happened with a dying shout following after it. Several more explosions followed quickly in rapid succession along with screams from his fellow crew members. The lights switched from

"Kinetic barriers down. Multiple hull breaches. Weapons offline!" Joker shouted in a tight voice, looking at his screen with his fingers dancing across the terminal keys. He could feel the heat of the fire from the ensign's console behind him growing. "Somebody get that fire out!" He shouted pointing to the fire behind him. He looked back at his screen just in time to see that the Cruiser had caught up to the Normandy quickly and another beam lanced towards them. He quickly tried to create some distance between them and the ship only to be struck by the beam which struck the Normandy's main hull. Fires erupted as the oxygen fed the flames only to be extinguished by the cold vacuum of space. Joker quickly took his oxygen helmet and put it on while everyone else had made it to the deck below. He quickly flew the Normandy around the planet in a desperate attempt to keep their pursuer away at least for a few moments to recover.

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Downstairs

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An asari clad in pink and white armor quickly sprinted through the second deck, moving past several scrambling crew members. Her fellow crew members seemed to have given up on trying to extinguish the fire seemed to be doing everything they could to make it to escape pods. A sentiment she shared with them and would be doing if there wasn't someone she needed to make sure was alive. She came to the captain's cabin only to find the door looking as if it had been wrenched off. Inside, the room was ablaze.

"Shepard!" She cried out hoping he hadn't been caught in one of the explosions. One of the crew limped past her, blood running down the side of his leg.

"Dr. T'soni! He's at the end of the hall." Liara T'soni looked at the man and nodded before motioning for him to keep moving. She wasted no time as she ran through a mess of wires, debris and flames. Explosions rang throughout the ship which were matched only by the screams of the injured and dying. She shook her head focusing on find the one man she loved the most.

"There he is..." She whispered breathlessly. She quickly moved to the man clad in jet black armor who was just putting his helmet on no doubt due to the rapidly failing life support systems.

"Shepard!" John Shepard stood calm and cool despite the dire situation and the chaos swirling around them. His visor was tinted black as well giving him the look of stoic soldier. Liara could tell though that despite the outward appearance, Shepard was barely keeping himself collected.

"Distress beacon is ready for launch." He said with his quick tone being the only sign of distress. Liara put her own helmet on as well.

"Will the Alliance get here in time?" Another explosion happened, this time with enough force to rock the ship. Liara stumbled along with Shepard before he righted himself and caught her before she could fall. Liara looked up at him as she regained her balance. The console behind Shepard cutoff drawing the man's attention before he pulled a fire extinguisher off the wall and tossed it to Liara.

"I don't believe the Alliance will abandon us. We just need to hold on. Get everyone onto the escape shuttles." Liara took the extinguisher to put out a fire that was starting to blaze out of control while Shepard opened a control panel and began rewiring things.

"Joker is still in the cockpit. He won't evacuate." Had the situation not been so dire Shepard would have rolled his eyes at the statement. "I'm not leaving either." Shepard shook his head before the console flashed back on.

I need you to get the crew onto the evac shuttles. I'll take care of Joker." He remembered there being one right near the cockpit which would make this somewhat easier. Shepard moved over to the console. Another explosion rocked the deck causing both of them to nearly lose their balance. Liara, regaining her balance while Shepard righted himself on one of the stasis pods as he got to the console. His fingers immediately started seeking any lose or broken wires.

"Shepard..." Liara called out as if she wanted to say something else but couldn't. Shepard shook his head. This wasn't the time or place.

"Liara. Go. Now." He said with finality as he looked over his shoulder to her. Liara could practically see the blue eyes gazing at her through the black visor and for a moment she thought about defying his order before her sense of reason took over.

"Aye, aye." She said softly before turning around and running as fast she could to get as many people as she could out. Turning around, Shepard turned his attention to the console and slammed his fist down on it. A shrill alarm sounded out as the fire suppression systems finally activated giving everyone who was still alive a chance to get out.

Liara had managed to gather as many people as she could before leading them to the escape pods with Kaidan Alenko and Ashley Williams helping her. Everyone could hear the evacuation alarms blaring and the fire suppression systems had finally kicked in. Making a right, the group arrived at the escape pods. Liara, Kaidan and Ashley each got in front of a pod and began ushering everyone in.

"Everybody in! Go! Go! Go!" Kaidan barked out with Ashley echoing him. Doctor Chakwas and several others jumped into Liara's pod and strapped themselves. Liara turned to see one last survivor running towards the entrance only to be caught by another explosion only a few feet away. The crew member's dying scream bore through Liara as she jumped into the pod and sealed it. Liara strapped herself down as the pod began to rumble, signifying that it was about tone launched. Liara found herself suddenly praying that Shepard would be alright. She knew Ashley was doing the same thing in the pod next to her. She was praying that he would get to Joker in time, get the both of them to an escape pod and be safe.

The Normandy's hull opened to reveal six escape pods on the starboard side. Each one jettisoned off their berths quickly carrying the survivors away from the dying ship as it drifted further and further away, hopefully making a better target for the Cruiser than the escape pods.

Back on the ship, Shepard watched on the console as the escape pods got further and further from ship with ever increasing relief. They were safer now. He turned around just another explosion happened right in front of if. He looked at his HUD since Isaac wasn't with him currently to see if he was damaged. Much to his relief, his shields managed to take the full brunt of the damage given. He ran down the burning hallway, passing several burned bodies and narrowly avoiding several explosion which depleted his shields even more so.

"Mayday, mayday, mayday! This is SSV Normandy." He heard as he made it to the mess. Joker's S.O.S continued over the comm as Shepard made it to the elevator. "We've suffered heavy damage from an unknown enemy." Shepard continued up the stairs hearing Joker plead with the Normandy, "Come on, baby. Hold together. Hold together."

He reached the top of the stairs quickly to find the door jammed shut. He used his biotics to wrench the door open as wide as it could go. As soon as he did, he had to hold onto the door frame to stay attached to the ship. There was a gigantic whole in the ceiling of the CIC giving Shepard a view of the planet along with a majority of debris floating away from the Normandy. The power was obviously out meaning that the artificial gravity was out with it. He activated his mag-boots and magnetized himself to metal floor, the only sounds registering in his mind at the moment being his breathing and heartbeat. Out of the corner of his eye he could see the galaxy map flickering on and off along with most of it being destroyed. The computer consoles and terminals we either missing or completely burned out and the chairs were floating around. He moved through pushing the chair out of his way and hesitantly pushing the floating body of Charles Pressly along with them. It hurt to see the older man dead, but Shepard had to focus on saving the only other living crewmen still on the ship with him. Shepard was relieved to see a barrier had activated in the cockpit, protecting Joker from dangerous elements of the empty void known as space. As soon as he stepped past the barrier he could feel the gravity was on meaning that the cockpit had power for the moment. He moved to Joker side immediately.

"Come on, Joker! We have to get out here!" Shepard grabbed Joker's arm gently only for the pilot to pull it out of his grasp as he continued to pilot the ship.

"No,I won;t abandon the Normandy! I can still save her!" Shepard gently but firmly grasped his friend's shoulder. Joker's monitors were telling Shepard that that wasn't going to happen with structural damage it sustained, not to mention their attackers were still out there.

"The Normandy's lost. Going down with the ship won't change that." Shepard said shaking his head solemnly. Joker looked at him with sadness, knowing he was right. There was no saving their beloved ship from this. Joker nodded, giving in.

"Yeah okay, help me up." Shepard made to do so only to freeze as he grasped his arm. Joker looked at Shepard to see the man staring back down the hallway. Joker suddenly realized that Shepard could see the Cruiser through the hole in the Normandy and that its beam cannon was charging up. A feeling of pure dread crawled up Joker's spine.

"They're coming around for another attack!" He said. Shepard snapped into action when he saw the beam fire and close the distance between the ships. He quickly gripped Joker's arm causing the man to give a pained gasp.

"Ah! Watch the arm!" Joker cried out but Shepard barely heard it over the screeching the beam was making as it sawed through what remained of the Normandy. Shepard quickly dragged Joker away from his chair, being mindful of his friend's condition as the situation permitted. They moved towards the remaining escape pod just outside the cockpit which was reserved for the pilot and the CIC members. Shepard didn't need to think about why it was still there since Joker was the only one left. He hit the panel on the side of the doors making them open. Shepard pushed Joker in as fast and as carefully as he could into seat closest to them. Before Shepard get into the pod another explosion happened, this time right next to Shepard as he tried to get in. Another, much bigger explosion happened sending a shockwave which propelled Shepard away from the escape pod. Shepard had just barely managed to hold onto the panel when he saw the beam was getting closer. He could feel he had probably broken some bones but that didn't warrant his attention. What warranted his attention was the fact that the beam was moving closer to the escape pod with Joker in it. He knew he wasn't going to make it in time. Not with zero-g slowing him down. So he reacted. He slammed his fist on the button and pod sealed itself before jettisoning away from the ship. Joker shouting his name barely registered in his mind before the resulting explosion happened with enough force that fired Shepard into an intact wall. He hung there in space limp as a rag-doll, overcome by the sudden onslaught of pain. He honestly couldn't tell if he broke just ribs or his spine along with them.

He barely noticed himself floating away from the Normandy and watching how the beams tore his ship apart. Whatever did this to them was out to destroy completely and utterly. These were certainly not geth. The Cruiser looked too... organic he guessed the right word would be. Then he found himself thinking of how he got mixed up in all of this.

 _'It was all supposed to be a vacation. A relaxing vacation before I went back to the Terminus. But it had to turn into something else. Of course... that's how it started. A simple vacation-and it was... at first. I had just been getting ready to leave Eden Prime when my ship had been destroyed right in front of me. I had feared that my AI friend Isaac had been destroyed along with it, but was relieved to find that he had gotten out in time. We weren't the only ones to be fired on though. The Alliance patrol on Eden Prime had also been attacked. They'd seen something they couldn't explain. And whatever it was... it was massive.'_ He could still see Eden Prime burning. The green paradise being consumed by the flames of death and destruction.

 _'I was already on the ground fighting when the Normandy, a high-tech Alliance frigate showed up. They had received the distress signal and came to investigate. I met two of the ground team immediately, one of them being Lieutenant Kaidan Alenko-a good guy. Loyal. By the book. With a talent for biotics. We came across the lone survivor of the patrol, Gunnery Chief Ashley Williams. A soldier to the core. Tough. Disciplined. Ready to take on whatever came her way. Ashley joined up with us and took us to the spot where she lost her squad. That's when we saw it... the ship. Like nothing I'd ever seen. It was massive-scorching the colony and everything around it as it blasted away.'_ He remembered battling through Eden Prime with Ashley and Kaidan following him through the flames, geth and husks. He remembered seeing Sovereign for the first time.

 _'We followed the path of destruction to an artifact, a beacon left by a long dead race called the protheans. The colony had dug it up and whoever attacked them had tried to take it. Chief Williams made the mistake of getting too close. It hit her with some kind of energy. I grabbed her and threw her out of the way. That's when it hit me. Hard. Every muscle in body went rigid... I couldn't move. Could barely breathe. Everything went black... and then I saw something. A vision. Dream. A nightmare.'_ The glowing green light span into his thoughts followed by the vision itself.

 _'By the time I woke up, we were halfway to the Citadel on our way to meet the Council. I had been transported onto the_ _Normandy by Williams and Alenko and was expected to explain what I'd seen. Anderson came along. So did Udina-Humanity's political representative on the Citadel. With those two heavyweights it seemed reasonable we could persuade the Council that the ship we'd seen was a potential threat. As was the individual behind the attacks.'_ He could still remember walking through the Citadel for the first time. And the hearing... as if it really was one.

 _'The main suspect for the Eden Prime massacre was a turian Spectre named Saren. He'd been seen by one of the survivors from the colony at Eden Prime, and there was some evidence to suggest that the ship was connected to Saren. But even Udina's pointed accusations weren't enough to_ _convince the Council. They just couldn't believe one of their chosen elite Spectres could be guilty of something like that. They needed proof. Which meant I needed proof.'_ That hearing had been damn near pointless in his opinion. His lips quirked as his thoughts strayed to what happened afterwards.

 _'Fortunately, I wasn't alone in my search. Garrus, another turian, wanted to help. A top agent for Citadel Security; despite orders from his superiors that he shouldn't get involved he told me he was suspicious of Saren and he had some useful leads. More importantly he was willing to share them. That led me to Wrex. The biggest, nastiest looking krogan bounty hunter I'd ever seen. He turned out to be more than just a brute... it was his intel that led to a fugitive with incriminating evidence on Saren. The fugitive turned out to be an energetic little quarian named Tali. A tech expert with a_ _knack for hacking she'd... procured some information on Saren. Evidence that proved he was dirty.'_ He remembered meeting each one of them so clearly he might as well be there now.

 _'Tali's evidence proved Saren was responsible for the massacre on Eden Prime, and that the immense war-ship we'd spotted was in fact Saren's flagship. But it went much further. Saren was trying to bring back a race of sentient machines from dark space._ _Machine's allegedly responsible for cleansing the galaxy of all organic life. These 'Reapers' were blamed for wiping out all life 50,000 years ago... including the protheans. Then disappearing back through the Mass Relay's into dark space, leaving no trace that'd they ever been. That'd explained why Saren was after the beacon, and it made some sense out of my visions... but not much else.'_ He remembered the shock faces of the Councilors when they presented the evidence. It still made him want to laugh.

 _'We couldn't convince the Council that the Reapers were a threat, but they agreed Saren had to be stopped. They stripped him of his Spectre status and gave me the honor of becoming the first human Spectre. My first-and only-task... bring down Saren. Anderson decided to stay behind; giving up his ship, the Normandy. He told me I would need it more than he would. He also pointed me in a direction...'_ He could still hear the ships on the dock that day when Anderson was telling him the Normandy was his now.

 _'Liara, a prothean expert, adept in biotics and maybe most importantly... daughter of Benezia, Saren's top lieutenant. And like most asari, as beautiful as she is intelligent and born with the unique ability to meld with other species. Liara was able to help me decipher some of the vision the beacon had given me. Nothing concrete, but it gave me some clues. And a new... appreciation for the Asari. Her technique for accessing my vision was unexpected, but not at all unpleasant.'_ His thoughts were illustrated by finding Liara in that prothean stasis field which was followed by the vision again.

 _'Ashley was concerned about the connection I shared with Liara. As the leader, I knew either relationship had the_ _potential to interfere with the mission... among other things. I told both of them of I felt and the situation I was in. I had believed that would be it, but it only seemed to encourage them. But we agreed that we wouldn't let it get in the way of our mission... finding Saren.'_ He felt giddy every time he thought about the looks they'd send him while on the ship before it went away with what happened next.

 _'We next went to Feros on a lead about geth attacking the colony. We arrived and were almost immediately in a firefight. The battle was short-lived before we moved onto the main colony, Zhu's Hope. Seeing that the colony was in desperate need of several things, I resolved to split my team into three groups: Ladies, Men and Me. It was only after I_ _finished my task did I find out why the geth attacked... The Thorian, ancient sentient plant lifeform was controlling the colonists. The Exo-Geni company had been studying the creature and using the colonists as test subjects. The geth were trying to destroy it on Saren's orders. What was worse was that my team had been taken hostage by it. I quickly confronted the creature and destroyed it only to battle a new Thorian who named itself New Growth. My team and I barely defeated the monster together but we managed. I ran into one of Benezia's former follower, Shiala who had given Saren the Cipher which allowed him to make sense of the vision. It helped... but not by much.'_ Shepard still felt chills when he thought of New Growth's power.

 _'Thanks to Liara's help, we had our next lead. Benezia. Saren had taken her to Noveria where he'd enslaved the queen of a dangerous race of insect-like_ _creatures, the Rachni. He ordered Benezia to use the same technique Liara had used on me to extract information from the Rachni queen. The queen's drones were everywhere, and they weren't happy. We had to fight through hundreds of them to get to Benezia. By the time we arrived, Saren was gone... with the information. I tried to reason with Benezia... but Saren had indoctrinated her. He had somehow acquired the ability to control people's actions and wills. Benezia wouldn't surrender, and Liara nearly had to watch her mother die. Thankfully, I had somehow acquired the ability to purge the indoctrination from Benezia's mind. She stayed onboard with us for a while training me and Liara both in biotics.'_ His thoughts mulled it all over: From landing in that frigid space port to fighting the rachni that came out of the vents to stopping Benezia.

 _'And I was left with an angry, dangerous Rachni queen to deal with. She claimed her drones would do no harm if I released her. But the Rachni had_ _terrorized the galaxy before... I couldn't do it. I wouldn't doom an entire species for past sins. And the queen was true to her word. She left and took her army of drones with her.'_ He remembered pressing the button on the cage which lifted the queen away from them. He even remembered meeting her brief gaze before she walked out.

 _'With Saren's top lieutenant dead, he was quickly running out of time and places to hide. I tracked him down at his base on Virmire. But we soon learned it was more than a base of operations... it was a breeding ground. Saren was breeding an army of Krogan. He'd found a 'cure' for the Genophage, a disease inflicted on the Krogan to prevent them from_ _breeding and taking over the galaxy. But the Krogan Saren was breeding were slaves... mindless beasts that obeyed Saren's will. I had to destroy the base. Wrex disagreed. Violently.'_ Shepard remembered driving the mako out of the ship that day, remembered the mindless krogan in the facility and how he almost had gotten into a gunfight with Wrex. Something he was very reluctant in doing and relieved that he didn't have to.

 _'Wrex wanted the Genophage 'cure' for his people. I tried to convince him to help me destroy it, that these krogan weren't real. But he wouldn't back down...Fortunately, Wrex is smarter than he looks. He realized this wasn't the way to help his people. And that Saren was the real threat. When we finally got to the center of the base, I realized just how close Saren was to completing his plan. He was already in communication with the Reapers. Sovereign, Saren's flagship we'd all assumed was just a ship... was a Reaper. It spoke to me._ _Threatened me. I could feel the menace it had for every living thing. It wanted me dead. It wanted us all dead. And I knew it was capable of doing just that... what I couldn't understand was why Saren would help it.'_ He could still see the red hologram interface showing the Reaper. Its ancient voice, deep and menacing as it foretold of the Reaper fleets.

 _'But there was no time to think about it. Sovereign knew where we were. We had to destroy the base and get the hell out. I split my team up in to two squads, sending Ash with one and_ _Kaidan with the other. We had a nuke and we planned to use it. Before we could detonate the bomb Saren showed up. We fought. I stalled him to make time for my time. And in talking with to him, I realized the truth. It wasn't Saren who was indoctrinating everyone. It was Sovereign. The Reaper. And Saren was in deeper than all of them. He tried to convince me that he was still in control... that he'd found a way to reduce the Reaper's influence, but he was kidding himself... or believing the lies Sovereign was telling him.'_ The thoughts quickly turned to the fight between Rogue Spectre and Ghost Spectre and the conversation during.

 _'Before I could convince him to stop and that I could possibly save him... he ran. Leaving me just seconds to extract my squadmates. I tried... but I alone wasn't fast enough. I could only get to one of them. As fate would have it, I had a mech that I_ _had stashed away on the ship. Benezia released it which took on the geth allowing Kaidan to make to us as we left. We made it into orbit just in time to watch the nuke go off.'_ It had been a hairy moment for him personally. He never wanted to choose who lived and who died among his squad.

 _'That was the last time Saren would slip away from me. I knew then, the next time we met, one of us would die. With my team intact, we chased Saren and his army to Ilos... a long lost planet that had once belonged to the protheans. As we prepared for what would be a desperate fight, I spoke to my crew. We were just one ship, against Saren's_ _growing army. I assured them all that despite the odds, we could defeat him. But Liara and Ash saw through my words. They could sense my doubts. We all knew this mission could be out last. Until that moment, we'd put our feelings aside for the sake of that mission... but why wait? We gave in to each other. And it was perfect... while it lasted.'_ this time he actually couldn't keep the smile from his face even as he floated into some debris from the Normandy and had to push it away.

 _'We arrived on Ilos close behind Saren. Once on the planet, we discovered a prothean databank that helped me put the final pieces of my vision together. The Reapers had come 50,000 years ago. And every 50,000 years before that. Each time purging the galaxy of life. The protheans had fought-and died-like every species before them. But a few survived long enough to leave a parting gift. the protheans had discovered that the Citadel was the key to controlling the Mass Relays. By sabotaging the Citadel, they found a way to close the Relays to Dark Space. Slowing the Reapers return, giving us the time we needed to find a solution to stop the Reapers once and for all. Saren knew this. He was leading his army to take control of the Citadel, and reestablish the Relays to Dark Space... bringing the waiting Reapers here to destroy us all.'_ There was no talk of Vigil from search teams sent to Ilos now that he thought about it. Had they not found him? Or did its power supply finally run dry?

 _'We_ _followed him to the Citadel. It was intact, but heavily damaged. He had caught the Council fleets by surprise and they were only now regrouping. And with Sovereign as his flag ship, there was little hope the fleets could counterattack with enough strength to take back the Citadel. But Saren was done running. And I was done chasing him. As the Alliance and Council fleets battled Saren's army outside the Citadel, I cornered the rogue Spectre in the Citadel Tower and confronted him. He died on his own terms after I helped him realize that he was being used from the beginning.'_ The battle up the Tower itself had been arduous with fighting geth and husks, and Saren showed himself as an even match for Shepard and the whole team.

 _'As I fought to regain control of the Citadel, the Council's flagship, the Destiny Ascension fell under attack. Despite Saren's death, Sovereign and Saren's army continued to fight. The Council was aboard the Destiny Ascension and they were requesting assistance, but I knew in order to help them I would have to_ _put the human Alliance fleet in jeopardy... The Council had to be saved. They represented the hearts and minds of the galactic community. Without them, the fleets would be in disarray.'_ Of course there had been more to his decision than that but it was main reason.

 _'Even with the Citadel back in my_ _control, Saren defeated, and the Normandy leading the combined galactic fleet, the battle against Sovereign-a single Reaper-was relentless. It took the combined fleets of humanity and the other races... but in the end... Sovereign fell. But the costs were immense.'_ All those lives, civilian and soldier, numbering in... what was it now? 3500? 3550? Somewhere around that number. And he and his team could've easily been part of that.

 _'While humanity's efforts in the war earned us our first seat on the Council, it was a hollow victory. The Reapers were still out there. I knew the fight was far form over, but... as the one who'd lead the fight against Saren, I was given new responsibilities. The choice for humanity's first Councilor was left to me to decide. On one_ _hand; Udina, the lifetime politician. Ruthless and ambitious. He could easily navigate the political landmines that would soon be placed before him. The other choice, Captain Anderson, the career soldier. Tough but fair. But a friend and someone I could trust. Both great leaders in their own right... Anderson didn't want the job, which was a sure sign he'd be perfect for it. no ambition to get in the way.'_ He could still see the shocked looks on both of their faces when he suggested Anderson for the job. Priceless.

 _'The war was over. The threat passed. In time, the Council would rebuild itself. The Citadel could be repaired. Even the pain of lost friends would fade. But none of that mattered if the Reapers were still out there. And if they were all as powerful as Sovereign, we had to find a way to stop them. I had to find a way. After briefly parting with my crew, I gathered them again, took my ship, and went in search of answers. Officially, the Council would only say I was assigned clean up duty. Routing out any remnants of Saren's army. Just another routine_ mission.' Is what was said.

Shepard started feel the pain begin to go away as he looked around. The Normandy was reduced to nothing. He briefly turned and studied the Cruiser and took note of its details. The ship was vast in size, easily dwarfing Normandy. The vessel was a hybrid of organic protrusions with a metallic superstructure. Its weapon capable of multi-directional fire which ignored kinetic barriers and was amazingly accurate as it was damaging since it only used a few shots to destroy the Normandy. Not only that but it had to have advanced sensors as well to have detected the Normandy while it was in stealth mode. The Cruiser was leaving the area at an unusual speed, one that Shepard didn't think any of modern-day Cruisers were capable of. Out of the corner of his eye Shepard could see the escape pods drifting further and further away while the Cruiser went in the opposite direction.

Why? Why was it leaving them alone? Were they out of its range somehow? No. With advanced sensors like those, it would be easy to spot them, hell he was sure he could be spotted with their sensors. Was it because they weren't registered as a threat? No, no way. The Normandy couldn't have registered as a threat with how fast it took her out. There was only two conclusions he could come up with: One; Unlikely though it may be, they were testing their ships abilities. Two; They already did what they wanted which was to destroy the Normandy. But who, or what, was piloting the Cruiser? Shepard's thoughts were interrupted when he felt a chill go down his spine.

A chill that was rapidly spreading throughout his suit. He noticed that something was leaking out of his suit. His fears were confirmed on his suit's HUD which showed that his hardsuit had been compromised with a rupture around the torso. He could feel the oxygen becoming thinner until he found himself choking. He reached to the back of his neck in the vain hope of holding the oxygen in. It was useless though. He started struggling, kicking his legs, groaning and fighting to stay conscious. This couldn't be how it ends! He had to get back to Omega! He had to prepare everything for the Reaper invasion. He had to get back... to Isaac... to Ashley... to Liara... to... to everyone. Shepard could see the star of the Amada System as it was slowly eclipsed by Alchera. The light eventually disappeared as he was pulled in by the planets gravity. Everything was going numb and cold now. His movement were slowing down until they stopped.

In his final moments John Shepard felt himself desperately wishing to see his friends again, falling in a cold place until there was only darkness and then... nothing.

* * *

 **Okay, tell me your honest opinions. Not a bad start huh? Please review, favorite and follow.**

 **It's good to be back.**


	2. Very Elusive: The Awakening

Recap: In his final moments John Shepard felt himself desperately wishing to see his friends again, falling in a cold place until there was only darkness and then... nothing.

* * *

 **Now**

* * *

We come to a clean room full of various lab monitors and surgical equipment. Sterile lights brightened the room which showed a dark haired woman looking over various documents and articles on the terminal screen. Some were of genetics and biochemistry while others were of surgical implants among other things. Her name was Miranda Lawson and she had been given a mission. One that had never been undertaken before: Bring back someone from the dead. It wasn't just anyone either. She looked through the glass window at the body laying on the table in the next room.

The body, if you could even call it that, was charred black. Almost unrecognizable, really. There were various tubes going through the body still getting various scans on everything about the body and correlating it with data of the subject when they were alive. Skeletal scans had shown the subject's skeleton broken and fractured almost completely, even missing a few bones-save for the skull. The helmet had managed to protect it due to it not being comprised like the rest of the suit which had broken up upon reentry. Another scan was of the subject's rotted and flatlined heart. Other scans showed the charred flesh having multiple cracks and what looked like deep cuts. She could even see dead blood cells

The Illusive Man was ready pour in unlimited resources for this project-Project Lazarus. And who was the subject of this project? Who did the Illusive Man deem important enough that this task was worth it? The same person who had sent ripples through the galaxy time and again. The person who was created by Cerberus in the first place. Their Subject Alpha. The person who defeated the slavers at Elysium, and broken them at Torfan. The person who gathered a crew, hunted down a rogue spectre, found out the truth behind it, and saved the Citadel from the geth and their so-called god, Sovereign: John Shepard.

Cerberus had managed to acquire his body due to the efforts of Liara T'Soni and the Drell Agent Feron. T'Soni was now going after the Shadow Broker, who had wanted to give Shepard's body over to the Collector's. The enigmatic alien race had seemed very interested in Shepard's body for some reason. Feron had betrayed the Shadow Broker by helping Liara hand over Shepard's body to Cerberus. In response, Feron had been captured and is now in the hands of the Shadow Broker. Cerberus wasn't going to try to save him, but T'Soni was going to.

Miranda had looked through his history of which was taken via the Alliance files through their contacts. She was impressed by him. Someone who had had such a difficult life and came to succeed in his goals. She also knew that he was what her father tried to make her be. Her brows furrowed as memories came back unbidden before she ruthless pushed them away. Shepard was far more genetically perfect than she herself and her sister, Oriana. His intelligence, his biotics, his strength even his healing. They held so many similarities that she could be on par with at times but Shepard had one thing she didn't. That fire that made people want to follow him. She could say she was envious of him in that regard.

She heard someone approaching her from behind. She looked over her shoulder to see a bald man in Cerberus fatigues. This man was Wilson, her Chief Medical Officer. He was to help her with reanimating Shepard. Wilson handed her the datapad. Another glance showed that he was followed by several other scientists who kept moving to Shepard's body to move him to the operating room.

"Equipment is all here, Miranda. We're ready to begin." Wilson spoke as the scientists transported Shepard's body away with him following. Miranda took the datapad, transferred any necessary files from her terminal to it and walked after them. She turned the datapad's recording device on.

"John Shepard has been recovered. The Lazarus Project will proceed as planned."

* * *

 **Two Years Later... 2185, Lazarus Research Station**

* * *

First they used implants to pull the cracked and separated flesh together.

Next, they used a skeletal lattice or heavy bone weave to repair his skeleton. They repaired his muscles with a microfiber weave and his skin with lattice shunting.

Then they used a blue liquid to rejuvenate his cells and get his blood flowing.

His heart finally began beating again. His healing came back.

Neurological activity was showing in his brain. He would twitch. Whether is was his fingers, toes or something else.

Until finally... he woke up.

The first thing that greeted his sight were bright fluorescent lights, grey and white walls with a some kind of symbol that seemed familiar, and muffed voices.

"There. On the monitor. Something's wrong." He heard a muffled female voice. His vision was blurry but was quickly clearing up.

"He's reacting to outside stimuli. Showing an awareness of his surroundings." He could hear his breathing starting to become heavier. He looked around and could only see operating equipment. Oh that's not good. He was feeling drowsy and terrible and whoever had him was clearly monitoring his vital signs.

"Oh my god, Miranda. I think he's waking up." He looked to his left to see a dark haired woman in some kind of white suit walking to him. He noticed someone was walking up on his right. He turned and he could see a bald man with a beard. The man looked at him briefly before his eyes went to the woman.

"Damn it, Wilson! He's not ready yet. Give him the sedative!" He turned to her at the sound of her voice. His vision was clearing faster, he could tell her eyes were blue. But she sounded bossy. He tried to reach for her, to ask her where he was and why they had him. He was too weak. His hand wavered and almost fell but the woman caught his wrist. Her hand was soft at least though that may have been due to the glove that covered it.

"Shepard-don't try to move." She spoke in a softer voice. "Just lie still. Try to stay calm." He could hear what sounded like a heart monitor which was beeping faster and faster. His breathing quickened. His heart was starting to hurt now. Every time he breathed, it hurt a little more.

"Heart rate still climbing. Brain activity is off the charts." Called the man who had gone back to the monitors. The woman-Miranda, her name is Miranda-let go of his wrist and walked over to the man, Wilson. Some part of him didn't want her to leave. The beeping got more frantic now.

"Stats pushing into the red zone. It's not working!" He turned, his eyes following Miranda. Wilson moved away, but Shepard stayed focused on Miranda.

"Another dose. Now!" She ordered. This time he did turn to Wilson who was at his feet now. Wilson turned to the terminal and pressed something. Soon enough, he started feeling warm and comfortable again. Fatigue hit him again and the sounds around him slowly receded. He laid his head back down as he listened to the two.

"Heart rate dropping. Stats falling back into normal range." He noticed Miranda had come back up to him. He had to admit she was beautiful. Blue eyes meet blue eyes. He couldn't help but notice how soft they got too. That was when he heard Wilson's voice which was sounding increasingly muffled.

"That was too close. We almost lost him." And just like that, Miranda's soft eyes and voice turned hard and stern as she looked at Wilson.

"I told you your estimates were off. Run the numbers again." She berated. Wow. Then Miranda looked back down at him and she had a soft smile. But he could tell it wasn't that genuine. Almost like there... was... something... stopping... it. And with those last thoughts, Shepard slipped into unconsciousness.

* * *

 **Later with Shepard** **in a different place**

* * *

Shepard found himself waking on the ground. He was clad in a t-shirt and some pants. He looked around and found himself in a very familiar place. It was nighttime and the trees were just as big as they ever were. And reaching tall into the night sky. His gaze turned up to the sky and he could see the blue moon. It was full and radiating a blue aurora borealis. That was when he noticed something different. To the right of it was another moon. It was barely visible since it was in the thinnest stages of being a crescent. What got him was the fact that its light wasn't blue, but red. Blood red.

Shepard felt that he was being watched and looked around. He was alone or at least he thought he was. He heard a snap behind him making him quickly turn around. Behind him was a woman. She had red hair and blue eyes. Her fair skin made her stand out in the darkness. She was clothed in science outfit with a lab coat. Her hands were in her lab coat pockets and she was smirking. This woman was Hannah Shepard, mother to John Shepard.

He stared at her for a few moments before he tried to say something only to find that he couldn't get the words out. His words were muted. He could hear everything else but his voice. Hannah looked at her son and spoke to him... only her words were muted too. But he didn't need to hear them. He could read her lips well enough.

 _"They've found you. It wasn't your time and they've brought you back."_ Was what he could tell. His eyes widened. Who? Who?!

 _"You know who."_ Her lips read. Shepard thought it over and came up with two possibilities: One was whoever was piloting that cruiser. And the other was Cerberus. He honestly didn't know which was worse. That was when John noticed the look on his mother's face. Hannah's blue eyes were glistening with tears. What was wrong? Why was she crying? Her next words made John still in stunned confusion.

 _"I'm so sorry."_ Before he could ask why the world around him broke and cracked away. Light escaped from the cracks and looked like they were dissolving the area around the two. John turned his attention to his mother who seemed to be openly sobbing now. Her hand covered her face as her shoulders shook uncontrollably. He tried to approach her only for the world in front of him to explode into pure white with a thundering crash. Then the white faded to black and he was gone from it.

And when he would wake up he would remember none of it.

* * *

 **2185, Lazarus Research Station**

* * *

His entire body was sore and heavy. He really didn't want to open his eyes. Maybe he could back to sleep if he cleared his mind. It wasn't hard to do.

"Wake up, Shepard." Okay maybe not so easy then. Somebody was trying to wake him. It sounded like a woman. Just ignore her voice. Maybe she'll go away. He could vaguely hear some kind of clanking off in the background, but he honestly couldn't bring himself to care. That was when he heard some kind of distant boom and felt himself rock briefly. Okay, that he couldn't ignore. With rising irritation, he tried to open his eyes but the lights gave him a headache causing him to squeeze his eyes in pain.

"Shepard, do you hear me? Get out of that bed now-this facility is under attack." Okay, more of a reason to get up. Another boom happened, this time closer. His body was rocked more than before. His face felt real sore now. He lifted his hand to his face and from what he felt it seemed as if someone took a knife to it. He got up, wincing and holding his aching ribs, not to mention everything else that was aching including his arms and legs. He looked at one of the windows above him to see an explosion happen on the other side with bullets flying all around. He looked down at himself to see several electrodes attached to him along with an IV stuck in his arm. Did he also mention that he was only wearing stark white boxers too?

He quickly removed the electrodes off of him and carefully extracted the IV before getting off the operating table. His legs immediately buckled from under him causing him to fall on his knees and arms. Why? Why did his legs feel like jelly? Why did his arms shake under the slightest strain. Why did he feel so _weak_? He struggled to pull himself up onto his feet using the table as a crutch.

"Shepard. Your scars aren't healed, but I need you to get moving. This facility is under attack." The woman's voice said to him over the intercom. Why did it sound familiar? Wait... She sounds like the woman he'd seen earlier.

"W-Who are y-you?" He rasped out his throat sore from just speaking those few words. He rubbed his throat. Why would it hurt just to speak? Had his vocal cords atrophied from not being used? If so, how long had he been out?

"My name is Miranda Lawson and I'm trying to save you! There's a pistol and some armor in the locker on the other side of the room. Hurry!" Shepard moved clumsily over to the locker. He leaned against it briefly before steadying himself and pushing the locker's button. The locker door opened swiftly showing a full set of dark grey N7 Armor including a helmet that seemed to switch from normal to a breather helmet made for low-oxygen environments. He studied the armor carefully noting its advanced but sleek design. It was divided into five areas: Head, legs, arms, shoulders and torso.

The torso was made of interlocking plates of thick, ablative ceramic. Obviously designed to be light, effective, and easily repaired. The arms were a combination of fabric armor with kinetic padding and plates of ablative ceramic for protection. The shoulders were curved shells of ablative ceramic over kinetic padding. He'd have to take a closer look at the helmet and legs to figure out how they were designed later since the fighting seemed to have become more intense. Miranda seemed to share that thought too.

"You don't have time to wait around, Shepard. Grab your weapon and armor!" He quickly put the armor on which seemed to lock itself easily with the other pieces. After getting his greaves on, he grabbed the pistol and studied it carefully. It looked pretty low-grade and inexpensive. In fact, if he didn't know any better, it looked like the same model Elanus Risk Control Services had come up with. From what he remembered ERCS was not exactly the best in powerful weapons. The only company that produced weaker weapons was Hahne-Kedar. What had caught his attention the most was the small slot in the hollow grip and the movable slide part of the weapon. Seeing it was right where the cooling chamber was supposed to be made him more suspicious of it. Having a hunch on what the unknown additions were meant to do he pointed the gun at the wall and pulled the trigger. Instead of a round firing off and putting a hole in the wall, all he got was an audible click from the gun. Shepard checked himself to find that he already had an omni-tool on him though it wasn't the best. A bluewire one. He could feel his biotics were there but something was... off about them. They didn't feel like they usually do.

"What's with this design? Why is the in-gun cooling tech missing?" He asked knowing she could hear him.

"That is an M3 Predator Pistol you're holding. Technology has changed while you've been asleep. Most weapons are using thermal clips now-Damn it!" Shepard was on the alert for anything that could shoot at him but he couldn't find anything. Flames shooting out of a canister caught his attention though.

"Keep your head down, Shepard! Shield yourself from the blast!" Shepard had already jumped behind some tables by the time she ordered him to take cover. The canister exploded forcing the door next it to open while Shepard walked out of his cover completely unscathed. In the doorway was a dead guard and next to his body was some kind of small, tube-like canister filled with orange things inside it.

"Someone's hacking security trying to kill you. Take the thermal clip magazine beside the body for your pistol." Miranda spoke. He picked up the magazine before inserting it into the pistol. After a few tries, he inserted it in correctly before clipping his gun. The door opened showing a couple of dead guards having made a makeshift barricade. Thankfully, Shepard's sixth sense was working properly and he could feel a mech nearby.

"Looks like they set up a barricade to try holding the mechs off. Vault over the barricade and keep moving." Miranda's flitted through his helmet's comm-link. Shepard did so and soon as he did, he could hear the mech turn in his direction. He ducked behind a crate just as the mech fired at him. He studied the mech and noticed that it was slightly more advanced than the mechs he and Isaac used back home, but it was only using standard programming: Shooting and walking. He used overload on it, stunning the mech before he fired at its head. The mech fell to the ground before exploding.

'Huh, that's new.' He thought before his eyes narrowed as he got out of cover. His overload was weak, but that may just due to the fact he was using a weak omni-tool. At least it came with a standard omni-blade. He looked over his bluewire tool and noticed that it was synched up to his gun. Strange. Upon closer inspection it seemed that the gun already some ammo upgrades attached, incendiary and what looked like shield-piercing ammo if the ID picture was anything to go by. He checked over the other features it could use and saw that tech armor and tactical cloak were available though they would be a little weak. There was also a combat drone ready which could be useful but it wouldn't last long.

"Keep moving we need you to get to the shuttles." Shepard moved up the stairs and through another door to come to an observation lounge which overlooked the room he woke up in. His attention was brought to the door as blue sparks travelled up the center indicating something was trying to solder through it.

"Shepard, security mechs are closing in on your location. Take cover. Don't take any chances. Stay in cover while you take out those mechs." Just as she spoke, he could feel four mechs moving in from the left and one from the right. He had a thought and hoped it would work as he jumped to cover just as the mechs started firing. Switching his gun to use shield-piercing ammo, he looked out of cover and fired at the mechs. The mechs had no shields but shield-piercing ammo had an electric charge to it which messed with shields so in theory it should disrupt any mechanical processes that the mechs have. His slugs struck the mechs and he noticed that they would shake violently with electricity streaking on them before falling down to ground.

Getting out of cover, Shepard studied his pistol. It was now sporting the shield-piercing ammo logo on along with the sides being highlighted by blue lights. A look at his helmets HUD had confused him to a degree. It had three lines on it. One was his vitals which was a red bar. Above it was a blue bar as in shields. And above that one was a purple bar called barrier. The barrier bar was half down but was quickly refilling itself when Miranda's voice brought him out of his thoughts.

"Nice work, Shepard. Coast is clear." He popped his gun, watching the thermal clip eject, glowing from the heat it had absorbed during the fight before moving on. He run down a dark corridor and noticed two people in black and white fatigues also running down an adjacent corridor. He tried to signal them but they ignored him or hadn't even noticed him. They came to a stop in front of him and were separated by only a window. The hall in front of them was illuminated by flames which blocked his vision of whatever was on the other side of them. That was when he felt a big electric presence moving towards them. Both people were holding rifles and aimed before firing into the flames.

A hulking figure stepped out of the inferno. It was black and white with a cylindrical head with red digital eyes. Its left hand was a four pronged claw while the right was some type of machine gun. The two people continued to fire on it but the slugs had no affect on the heavy mech. It fired its machine hand at the one on the left cutting him down instantly before aiming at the woman and doing the same to her. Shepard tried to help by firing but the window but the slugs just cracked the glass. The heavy mech bade no attention to him as it turned and walked back through the flames, disappearing behind them. Shepard lowered his weapon, looking at the blood splattered glass and the bodies on the other side.

'They didn't stand a chance. Weren't even wearing armor.' He thought sadly.

"Don't waste time. I can't keep the mechs distracted for long." He walked past several more dead bodies, picking up a couple more magazines along the way, and another door opened to show another body with a... grenade launcher beside it.

"More reinforcements heading your way. Grab the grenade launcher off the security officer's body." He picked up the grenade launcher just in time for a squad of mechs to come walking through the door on the platform below him. "Here come the mechs. Use the grenade launcher to take them out."

Shepard rolled his eyes in a no duh fashion before firing a single grenade at them. The grenade exploded soon as it collided with one of the mechs, blasting all of them away. The force of the explosive damaged the fuel tank next to it however, and was leaking fire. Shepard holstered the grenade launcher on his back and switched to his pistol again which lit up with blue lights showing the... shield-piercing ammo was too long now that he learned what it was capable of. Disruptor ammo was a better name since it was disrupting the mechs' hardware. Yeah... disruptor ammo was perfect. An elevator came up from the side.

"Take the elevator down one floor." Miranda said. Shepard nodded and walked onto the elevator and hit the button to descend. The elevator went down and Shepard got off it. He looked at the flames pouring out of the tank before he heard a door open from up above him. He looked up to see ten mechs which had begun firing down at him.

"Hurry! Get to the door! Run!" Outnumbered, at a disadvantage and seeing his barrier losing power, Shepard ran to the doorway, storming through the flames. The door closed behind him and locked itself.

"You're doing...-Shepard. Head to the...-meet you..." Shepard stopped walking when the comm started to go static.

"Miranda, you're breaking up. Can you repeat that?"

"Shepard?-read me? I've got...-closing in...-position." Shepard could hear what she was saying and figure out she meant. The gunshots firing at the end of the message were not comforting nor was the explosion for that matter.

"Miranda? Miranda!" He called out before the comm went dead. Great. Now he had to traverse an unknown space station with mechs set to kill and he had no guidance other than his instincts. Just perfect. Pistol forward, he continued on through the corridor till he felt two mech signatures. He activated his tactical cloak and moved slowly and softly as he could after them. Ducking into an office, he found two mechs that had been damaged but were still very much active. He shot both of them, watching them twitch from the disruptor rounds. Now that he had a moment to breathe he looked about room seeing the multiple screens and a couple of laptops. It appeared that all of it held some kind of medical data on him. One was on his nervous system and brain, while another was of his skeleton. Then there was his organ systems and even his pulmonary system.

He noticed one of the laptops had a profile on him. The usual stuff: Date of Birth, where he was raised, what he had gotten into and his classes. He had to admit he liked the picture they gave him for it. For a soldier it just showed the muscles mostly. Engineer showed a blue outline along upper half of the skeleton. Adept seemed to focus all the biotic pathways in green and the other combinations showed two of the three together. His on the other hand, Juggernaut, showed all three together, each layer folded together neatly.

He looked at the description and couldn't help but smirk at how they described his class. Juggernaut: A balance of mental conditioning and scientific know-how. Strong mental focus. Engineering is more efficient. Harsh, but superior training regiment. Relentless fighting style. That was pretty much it in a nutshell. He hacked the computer silently thankful that his hacking skills hadn't diminished when he had Isaac with him. The screen showing his profile vanished and instead popped up with Miranda Lawson, Director of Project Lazarus. The date showed at the bottom corner. He didn't much attention to the day or month but the year which was 2183. Nothing unusual yet.

 _"Test subject has been recovered, but the damage was far worse than we initially feared. In addition to the expected burns and internal injuries from the_ _explosion, subject has suffered significant cellular breakdown due to long term exposure vacuum and sub-zero temperatures. Despite the extent of physical trauma, Wilson assures me that the subject is salvageable. The Lazarus Project will proceed as planned."_ The vid log ended. Shepard raised an eyebrow. Salvageable? Who were these people? Why did they want him? Or his body specifically. And for that matter why name this Project Lazarus? I mean its not as if he were de-... He stopped himself. What had happened to him exactly that would have caused him such injuries? He tried to remember but it was as if something was blocking his memories. Heart hammering in his chest, he clicked on the next video log after that. This one was made in 2184.

 _"Progress is slow, but the subject is showing signs of recovery. Major organs are again functional, and there are signs rudimentary neurological activities. In an effort to accelerate the process, we've moved from simple organic reconstruction to_ _bio-synthetic fusion. Initial results show great promise. Far more than a normal human should, but due to the subject's genetic enhancements, we should not be surprised."_ Whoa, whoa! Bio-synthetic fusion? That stuff was supposed to be real expensive especially with the injuries he had sustained. The injuries that should've... His stomach did a flip as he pressed for the next one. This time it was time stamped 2185!

 _"Physical reconstruction of the subject is complete, but we still need to evaluate mental and neurological functions. Our orders were clear: Make John Shepard who he was before the explosion. The same mind, the same morals, the same personality. If we alter his identity in any way, if he's somehow not the man he used to be, the Lazarus Project will have failed. I refuse to let that happen."_ Make him who he was? What the hell does that mean? Why would they be concerned about that? Was the trauma so bad that it would have changed him? Just what the hell is going on!

Shepard tried to find anymore audio logs but only found more files pertaining to this Project Lazarus and some files on various medical equipment, procedures and a whole bunch of other stuff he didn't really understand. Giving up on the laptop he turned to the other and hacked it. It belonged to the Lead Medical Technician named Wilson. Shepard remembered him. The man seemed well-meaning enough, but he could be wrong. He found the audio files that Wilson had logged on his computer with the earliest one being time stamped in 2184. He clicked on it and listened as Wilson's voice came out though there was no video of the man unlike Miranda's.

 _"Log Update: The cost of this project is astronomical-over four billion credits so far. But no one seems to care that we've gone over budget. I don't know where the boss gets all his money... Maybe it's better not to know. I just wish he'd kick a little more in my direction once in a while."_ Shepard's eyes widened at the number of credits that had been poured into the project.

'Four billion?! What the hell did they use that required four billion credits a year ago?! Not mention if that was a year ago how much did they need after words?' He thought as he clicked on the next file which happened earlier in 2185 and listened.

 _"Log Update: I can't figure Miranda out. As project director, she should be ecstatic at the progress we've made. But she's still the same old ice queen. Maybe she's worried Shepard might become the new favorite. Or maybe she's just a cold-hearted bitch."_ Shepard raised his eyebrow at the last sentence. It seemed that Wilson had doubts about his superior. Or she was interesting to him. Either way, neither was good. In a team, problems like that would cause all kinds of hell. An example being of what's currently happening on the station now. He clicked on the final audio log which happened a couple of weeks ago.

 _"Log Update: The Lazarus Project is about to enter its final phase. It's taken nearly two years, but we did it. John Shepard is alive! This is the most amazing medical achievement in recorded history! Maybe now Miranda will show me some appreciation for everything I've done."_ But he wasn't listening to the last half. Dumbfounded and confusion couldn't even begin to describe what he felt. His heart was pounding and his stomach was sick. Over and over the words replayed in his head:

'John Shepard is alive! John Shepard is alive! John Shepard is alive!' He didn't even notice himself sitting down in one of the chairs. He had been dead? He was **dead**! But-but-but... How? W-What happened?!

Then it all came back.

The Normandy had come under attack.

Everyone was dying a scream as explosions had rocked the ship.

Him telling Liara to get everyone out and most of the crew making it to the escape pods.

Him running through the flames of his ship to get Joker who had refused to abandon it.

Him getting Joker to the CIC escape pod only to be knocked from it. Making that split-second decision to send his friend away while the Normandy exploded around him.

The gigantic ship that had torn through the Normandy as if she was nothing. His suit fogging up and the pervading cold that had encompassed him.

Fighting and choking for breath as the oxygen left his hard suit. His body going numb.

The light of the system's star fading away as darkness encompassed is vision.

And then nothing.

Shepard was hyperventilating at this point with his heart feeling like it was about to burst from his chest. He looked through the window next to him staring aimlessly at it when he noticed red-orange lights on the glass. He turned his head as he watched the lights move. His stomach felt as it was doing jumping-jacks now as he leaned in to get a closer look. The lights were his _scars_! One curved under one eye while the other eye had one over it near the brow. And another was going down the side of his face. With shocked realization he knew it was his implants glowing from underneath his skin.

He took off his helmet as he started to feel sick. He gagged and wheezed as he thought he was about to throw up what was inside his stomach. After a moment of trying to calm himself down, and keeping the vomit down, he had composed himself and placed his helmet back on. He got out of the chair, grabbed his gun and walked out with narrowed eyes. He was going to find whoever brought him back from beyond the grave and figure out why they did it. And the person who can best answer that was Miranda Lawson. And the best place to find her was at the shuttles and no one... not the mechs, not any of the staff-NO ONE-on this damn station would get in his way. Unknown to Shepard, that last thought of his caused his pupils to flash red for a brief moment before it quickly receded.

Leaving the office and making sure the coast was clear, Shepard moved on until he came to the next room. He ran up some stairs to see a room illuminated by fire and one of the staff on the other side.

"Shepard!" The man cried in surprise. Shepard stared at the man for a brief moment before he tensed upon feeling a familiar electric signature. His answers would have to wait.

"You need to run now! GO!" Shepard roared waving his arm in the direction the man needed to run. It was no use as the heavy footsteps were already on them and the YMIR Mech turned the corner from behind the man. The man looked at it in horror before turning to Shepard with the same expression.

"No! Help! Help me!" The man cried before the mech shot him with a rocket. The force had blasted the poor stranger apart covering the room with gore and body parts. The mech stared at Shepard with its machine gun before at him which cracked the glass. On instinct, Shepard vaulted out of the way of the window and out of sight. He heard the mech fire another rocket this time shattering the glass. Thinking quickly, Shepard activated his combat drone and sent it in to distract the mech. The drone had just managed to make the mech turn around when it was destroyed when Shepard had activated his tech armor and switched to the grenade launcher and began firing at it.

The YMIR mech's shields must have been worn away while walking through the fires in its path since the grenades struck nothing but its armor. The white armor was broken and dented but the mech wasn't damaged too bad. He holstered the grenade launcher as the mech started using its machine gun. Shepard ran back towards the stairs with machine gun firing after him. The mech then used a rocket which missed Shepard but struck the glass to window. The problem was that this window was for viewing out into space. So when Shepard saw the glass beginning to crack and hiss as air escaped into the endless vacuum of space he switched on his mag-boots at just the right time. He felt his boots stick to the metal floor just before the glass shattered. The air escaped and the fire in the next room went out. Unfortunately, the heavy mech also had a way to stay on the station by grasping the wall. Seeing a way for him to rid himself of the mech Shepard tried to use pull on the heavy mech so it would float out into space. The keyword being tried.

He outstretched his arm which glowed with his biotics but when he made the motion for pull his arm suddenly felt like there was hundreds of tiny needles sticking in it. He cringed and held his arm in an effort to soothe the pain but noticed the mech had adjusted itself to fire at him again. This time, with adrenaline flooding his veins, he stuck out his other arm and created a singularity which pulled the mech off of its feet before it was forced to let go of the wall and started orbiting the mini blackhole. Shepard calmly walked around it so the mech was in-between him and the now open window before thrusting his arm out and biotically throwing the mech into space. He watched as the mech floated away helplessly before the emergency shutters activated. The room was sealed again with oxygen flooding into the room. Shepard took out his pistol and moved forward to the next hallway. He had made it to the door when he heard more gunfire on the other side.

He felt for any signatures and found several electric ones and one lone biotic. The two were clearly separated by some distance. He activated his tactical cloak and entered the area and saw one man taking cover as several shots were fired at him. Shepard walked up against the wall and studied this new person. The man was dark skinned and wore some type of tight black and white body armor. In his hand was the same kind of pistol that Shepard was using but was using incendiary ammo if the red lights on it were any indication. This one had confidence as he stood out of cover and used pull on one of the mechs across the gap.

"Gravity is one mean mother, huh?" The man shouted before firing at the floating mech and ducking down again. Shepard felt two electric signatures from across the way on the other side of their level when two mechs came walking down. The man seeing them brought up a hasty barrier which protected him from a couple of shots but Shepard could tell he wasn't used to putting up a barrier by the way it was flickering. His tactical cloak suddenly deactivated prompting him to take action. Without really thinking, Shepard focused on the mech furthest from and did a biotic charge, an albeit weak one. He flashed at the mech and collided with it, sending the robot hurling into the wall. Shepard aimed his pistol right behind him and shot the second mech right in the head. The mech fell down before exploding. His barrier took the brunt of the damage as he moved to where the other person was.

"Shepard? What the hell..." Shepard heard him say before he fired at the rest of the mechs, taking them all down. Shepard continued walking towards the man before crouching down next to him, just in time since more LOKI mechs arrived on the other side of the chasm between the two groups.

"What are you doing here? I thought you were still a work in progress." The man asked. He couldn't help but fidget as he saw Shepard's eyes narrow at him.

"Look pal, I don't know where I am, or how I got here! I've been drugged, shot at, and not a minute ago I nearly got spaced again! Plus, my head feels like an overripe melon ready to split open! How 'bout you fill me in a little?" Shepard said closing his eyes trying to keep a headache from turning into a migraine. He was tired, cranky and more than a little mad. He certainly wasn't in the best of moods at the moment so forgive him if he was a little rude. Or don't, he didn't really care right now.

"Damn... I forgot this all new to you. Sorry about that. I'm Jacob Taylor... I've been stationed here for-" Before he could say anymore, a bullet ricocheted far too close to their heads. "Damn it!" Jacob exclaimed before moving out of cover and firing at one of the mechs, taking its head clean off before ducking back down.

"Things must be worse than I thought if Miranda's got you running around. I'll fill you in, but we need to get you to the shuttle first. But Shepard wasn't going to go for that. Not with so many things going on at once.

"What's with the mechs?" Shepard asked. Might as well figure out what was going on.

"Security. Usually they fight for us... somebody must've hacked 'em. That should be impossible, unless you got access. We've got to get you out of here, Shepard." Shepard's mind worked fast. So there was a traitor or spy and whoever was opposing this group was willing to kill everyone on the station. They definitely weren't here to save him otherwise the mechs wouldn't attack him. Calming himself down and seeing a potential ally in Jacob, Shepard decided to be a bit more polite.

"I know this isn't the best time, but I'm sick of stumbling around when I don't know what's going on." Shepard said with a hint of agitation in his voice. Jacob nodded.

"Fair enough. I'll give you the quick version. You and your ship were attacked and destroyed. You were killed. Dead as dead can be when they brought you here." Shepard's eyes closed upon hearing that. Some part of him had hoped it was just some embellishment from Wilson, but it was true. He had been dead. "Our scientists spent the last two years putting you back together. You've been comatose, or worse, that whole time. Welcome back to your life." Jacob finished with a grim expression. Okay time to figure things out.

"You'll have to figure me. That's... I'm having some trouble wrapping my head around this." Shepard replied with a shake of his head trying to accept that he'd been not just dead, but dead for two years.

"Yeah, I can imagine." Jacob said before both of them ducked further down when a shot came a little too close to their heads.

"This doesn't look like an Alliance facility." He prompted. Time to see who Jacob was with. The soldier shook his head.

"It isn't. I can't say much more than that for now." Shepard's eyes narrowed again from that. So not the Alliance and reluctant to tell who it really was. Well, he was obviously not from any known slaver operations so private military perhaps? Seemed to be the soldier type so he might be former Alliance at least.

"The Alliance officially declared you killed in action. The whole galaxy thinks you're dead. And if we don't get those shuttles, they'll be right." So Shepard could trust him... for the moment anyway. Another topic came to the forefront of his mind. A very important one.

"Were there any other survivors from the Normandy?" He asked. The bullets seemed to be never ending and were actually starting to annoy him now.

"I'll tell you what-you help me finish off these mechs, and I'll play Twenty Questions with you all day." Jacob said with an irked expression. It seemed that the mechs were annoying him too. "We're low on thermal clips, but I'm a biotic. Just give the order when you want me to hit him with the good stuff." Jacob finished before getting out of cover and puling on mech. Shepard stood up and fired at the floating mech with Jacob taking another out. Four walked out of the doorway on the mechs' side bring the number up to five. Shepard took more than a few shots before his tech armor went out forcing him to take cover with Jacob.

"Can't you use that grenade launcher?" Jacob asked as he stood out to fire a couple of shots. Shepard shook his head.

"No, I ran into a heavy mech on the way over." A smirk came onto his face though Jacob didn't see it. "But I may have something better." Shepard got out of cover and created singularity, capturing three mechs in its orbit. With a smile Shepard threw a warp on the singularity itself. The conflicting forces of the dark energy detonated into a biotic explosion, destroying the captured mechs. Only two more were left which were easily taken care of by both men. Jacob holstered pistol before looking at Shepard who did the same.

"Okay. I promised I'd answer your questions. What do you want to know?" Finally!

"You said they spent two years rebuilding me? How bad were my injuries?" Shepard asked. He needed to get this done and face what had become of him. Jacob shook his head slightly as he remembered the day they brought Shepard in.

"I'm no doctor, but it was bad. When I first saw you, you were nothing but meet and tubes." Shepard suppressed a wince at that. It was disturbing to imagine himself like that. "Anywhere else they would have put you in a coffin. But Project Lazarus was different. Cutting-edge technology."

"What can you tell me about the project itself? Were there any other test subjects?" Shepard asked motioning to the direction he had come from with his head. Jacob shook his head negatively in response.

"Project Lazarus only had one subject. The whole point was to bring you back. Just you. Even that was a challenge. Two years. All the top scientists. The best technology money could buy." Okay. Time to find out more about this project.

"What do you mean? Cloning? Cybernetics?" He was sure that last one was definitely true with him if the scars were any indication.

"I don't know the details. You'd have to ask the scientists. But I'm pretty sure you're not a clone. They wanted to bring you back exactly as you were." Shepard raised an eyebrow. "You're still you... you just might have a few extra bits and pieces now." Well, that was a relief... to some degree. His crew came back to his thoughts now.

"The last thing I remember is the Normandy blowing up. Did anyone else make it?" Shepard asked with some urgency in his tone. Did Ashley and Liara make it out safe and sound?

"Just about everybody survived. A few servicemen from the lower decks didn't get out." Shepard suppressed another wince. "Navigator Pressly was killed by an explosion." This time Shepard winced as he remembered passing Pressly's floating body on the Normandy. If Jacob saw it, he made no sign of it. "But everyone else, including the non-Alliance crew-the asari, Liara, and the quarian-they all made it out alive." Shepard let out a breath he didn't know he held in. So they did make it out. Thank you, God! But his relief faded in the face of dread and guilt.

'Two years believing me dead. Boy is Ashley going to be pissed, but hopefully I can explain things out... after getting kicked in the balls a couple times.' Shepard thought depressingly. Maybe it'd be best to find everyone else first.

"Do you know what any of them are doing now?" Jacob sighed. These questions weren't what he was payed to do, but seeing as it was Shepard asking, he should do all he could.

"I don't know, Shepard. It's been two years. They've moved on. Left the Alliance. Could be anywhere." Wrex, Tali, Garrus, and Liara may have, but Ashley and Kaidan would never. Either way he needed to find them.

"They were my team. If they knew I was alive, they'd come back." Shepard said with a nod. It was more to himself than Jacob so he was surprised when Jacob began talking.

"Maybe you can track them down after we get off the station. If we get off the station." Jacob suggested before looking away as he said the last sentence. Shepard glanced at him before walking over to the railing and looking over it. He could hear fighting echoing around the room. Sounds of gunfire, shouts of other members of the staff sounding out, and the unmistakable sound of a machine moving, vocalizing.

"Do you know anything about this attack? Who's behind it? What they're after?" Jacob rubbed the back of his head as he started to feel his fatigue catching up on him. The soldier walked up beside Shepard and looked over the railing with him.

"Damned if I know. I was getting ready for some shut eye-then BAM. Bunch of explosions. Next thing I know, every damn mech in this place starts shooting... at us." Jacob then leveled an angry glare at Shepard, but he wasn't bothered by it. It wasn't at him specifically after all.

"I'm guessing it had to be an inside job. You'd need top security access to hack all the mechs." Shepard nodded. Jacob wasn't wrong, but he wasn't thinking of the possibilities. It didn't have to be someone with top security access. They just needed to steal the credentials of someone who did or hack it, but that was far more riskier. The suspect would have to be someone who would most likely be unassuming. Might be close to the position in the same position of power or... the same division.

He glanced at Jacob with some mild suspicion. The man was too combat orientated to be on the medical division of this station. He was certainly some type of guard or a former soldier. Paramilitary training most likely from what he had displayed in that fight. But he had his doubts about the man being in on this.

"By the way, what is your job here?" Shepard asked keeping his eyes on Jacob now watching for any possible aggressive movement.

"Depends on who you ask. Technically, I'm Miranda's top lieutenant." So, pretty high up. "But I'm just a soldier." With some humility at least. "I served five years in the Alliance before this. Now I'm in charge of the station's security. Usually a lot more dull than this. Normally I don't fire my gun unless it's target practice." Jacob finished with a grim smile. Shepard relaxed somewhat. From the way Jacob spoke he had made himself seem less like a guy who is high up in the ranks and more like a security guard. Now, Shepard turned his thoughts to someone else who had a lot of power on this station that he knew of. Miranda Lawson. But she was highly unlikely. Why not just kill him when the opportunity was right there in front her for two years straight?

"When I first woke up, someone named Miranda was talking to me over the radio. We lost contact just before I ran into you."

"Miranda Lawson is the station's ranking officer. She led the Lazarus team. It was her job to bring you back to life, no matter what. Should've guessed she'd try to save you. She's not about to give up on you now." Jacob's face remained neutral but his tone had hints of concern. "You said you lost contact-could you tell what was happening?"

"There was some gunfire and an explosion right before I lost her." Jacob looked away.

"She knows how to take care of herself, but I hope she's okay." He said looking back at him. Seeing as that was all Jacob knew about the situation at the moment, and feeling noticing that sounds of fighting had dimmed to an almost eerie silence, Shepard decided it was time to get moving.

"What's the quickest way to those shuttles?" He asked looking around.

"Depends where the mechs are thickest. It's probably best if we-" Jacob was cut off as his omni-tool lit up.

"Check. Check. Anyone on this frequency? Anybody still alive out there? Hello?" A familiar voice spoke from it. Shepard remembered the man's voice couldn't place the name. Jacob looked at Shepard before pressing a finger to his earpiece. Unknown to Jacob, Shepard subtle got the radio signal and listened in.

"Wilson? This is Jacob. I'm here with Shepard. Just took out a way of mechs over in D Wing."

"Shepard's alive? How the hell... never mind. You need to get him to of there. Get to the servicemen tunnels and head for the network control room." Shepard couldn't help but feel something was off about Wilson. He seemed... not really panicked by the sound of his voice. But maybe he was being too paranoid. Jacob looked at Shepard with a determined expression.

"Roger that, Wilson. Stay on this frequency." Then it clicked. Wilson, the man who was there when he woke. The man who was the Lead Medical Technician.

"I think I remember a Wilson checking on me one time when I woke up..." Shepard trailed off. Jacob nodded.

"That's him. He's the chief medical tech. Answers directly to Miranda. C'mon, the service tunnels are this way." Jacob said pointing to the door behind him. Both took out their pistols and moved through the hallways, lights flickering on and off. It wasn't too long before they reached the tunnels only to be attacked by more mechs. Taking cover the two coordinated their attacks and destroyed them with no difficulty. At the end of it, Jacob was angry.

"Damn it, Wilson! This room is crawling with mechs!" Shepard listened in on the conversation again.

"This whole station is crawling with mechs! I'm doing the best I can!" Wilson said. Jacob calmed himself quickly at the man's meek tone.

"Wilson find us another route out of here. Preferably one that doesn't lead into an enemy squad." Both began walking through the hall again keeping an eye out for any mechs.

"Just keep moving toward the control room. Don't get pinned down. I'll think of something." Wilson replied before going silent. Again Shepard's instincts were telling him that something about Wilson was off. After navigating through the pipes around the room and exiting into a hallway, Wilson spoke up again this time frightened.

"Oh God! They found me! Help!" Both stopped walking when they heard that before running through the hall.

"Wilson? Where are you?!" Jacob asked with Shepard trailing behind him. Both men paused coming to a stairway and another door.

"Server room B! Hurry! They're out of control!" Jacob pointed to the stairs behind Shepard.

"Up those stairs, Shepard!" Shepard was already running up them with Jacob on his heels. Just before the transmission cut, Wilson cried out again.

"Oh God! I'm hit! They shot me!" Shepard's instincts were going haywire again especially when heard only one gun firing over the radio. Something was definitely off. Jacob passed Shepard on the stairs, neither letting their pistols down in case of any mechs coming across them. Jacob stopped in front of the door labeled Server Room B above it. Jacob motioned for Shepard to take position on one side of the Door while he took the other. Shepard activated his tech armor again before holding three fingers up. Jacob understanding what Shepard was saying nodded. Shepard counted down to zero before Jacob opened the door. Shepard ran in and looked for any enemies that may fire on him.

He found none. No mechs, active or broken. No sign of any gunfire at all. Only a broken console that was sparking as if it had been shot. The only thing alive was a familiar bald man clutching his bleeding thigh.

"Jacob! Shepard! Down here!" Jacob kneeled next to the down man while Shepard looked around the room. The only other bodies were other members of the staff. Two being security while the other was dressed in a suit. Might've been one of the leads on the team.

"Bastards got me in the leg." Wilson yelled. Jacob looked over the wound while Shepard studied Wilson from afar. The man seemed a little rough actually then there was blood splatter on the floor near his leg. That wasn't what drew Shepard's interest though. It was the bullet whole in the floor. There were no other guns in the room save for one beside Wilson. The only way that they would be able to tell what Shepard was thinking would be by looking into his eyes due the fact he was wearing an N7 breather helmet. If they had, they'd have seen the growing suspicion in his eyes.

These were the facts Shepard knew about Wilson: The man was smart. He was high up in the ranks on the team answering only to Miranda, their leader. He wasn't part of security so that made him less likely to be the one who caused this and more like a victim. They ran into mechs on a route he suggested they take. Now they've found him in a room where the only dead things are other staff personnel and he's the only one with gun and still alive. The wound itself looks like it was self-inflicted too. Schooling his features, Shepard spoke, hoping that he might be able to warn Jacob of his suspicions.

"You were there when I regained consciousness." Wilson scrunched up his face in pain as Jacob continued to look at the wound.

"Yeah. That was me." Wilson gave a pained grunt before giving a sharp gasp as Jacob further investigating the wound by ripping the man's pants a little. Shepard never took his eyes off of Wilson's hands. "How about we talk after we fix my leg?"

"Should be some medi-gel on the first aid station on the wall. Hopefully there's enough to get him up and moving again." Jacob said looking at the first aid station with Shepard following his line of sight. Not wanting to let Wilson on about his thoughts, Shepard walked over and opened the first aid station revealing three packs of medi-gel. Taking one for himself, Shepard tossed two to Jacob. Jacob stashed them in his omni-tool and dispensed one on Wilson's wound while Shepard did the same with his. The effects were fast and immediate.

The wound stopped bleeding and closed faster than a normal wound would, though not as fast as Shepard's would have. Wilson stood up and gingerly applied his weight on his leg.

"Thanks, Shepard. Never thought you'd save my life. Guess that makes us even now." Wilson's smile was so fake to Shepard that it took a bit of self-control not to sneer at him. "I thought maybe I could shut down the security mechs. But whoever did this fried the whole system. Completely irreversible." Wilson said as he leaned on the crate behind him while gesturing to the sparking console. Jacob fixed Wilson with suspicious look of his own as he crossed his arms.

"We didn't ask what you were doing. Why do you even security mech clearance? You were in the bio wing." 'Because he's the damn traitor!' Shepard roared mentally.

"Weren't listening? I came here to try and fix this. Besides, I was shot! How do you explain that?" Wilson growled. 'Oh I don't know, maybe cause you hacked the mechs and when you realized that they wouldn't be enough to kill us you'd lure us into a false sense of security before gunning us the back?!' Shepard responded mentally.

"You're all strangers to me. Let's get some place safe, then we'll sort out whose fault it is." Shepard said diplomatically. Best to let Wilson think he doesn't trust Jacob yet. That way he'll think Shepard would be keeping an eye on Jacob since he is a more obvious threat. 'And so I can keep an eye on you without keeping another for any mechs.' Shepard mentally added.

"Right, Shepard. We need to find Miranda. We can't leave her behind." Jacob said with obvious conviction after turning his gaze to Shepard.

"Forget about Miranda." Wilson said with a face that looked like he had tasted something foul. "She was over in D wing. The mechs were all over that sector. There's no way she survived." If Shepard didn't know any better, he'd Wilson sounded slightly proud of that statement. Jacob came to the absent Miranda's defense.

"A bunch of mechs won't drop Miranda. She's alive." Jacob said it with such utter surety that Shepard almost nodded with him in agreement.

"Then where is she? Why haven't we heard from her?" Wilson argued back as he got up from the crate. "There's only two possible explanations: she's either dead... or she's a traitor!" 'Or option 3: You're the traitor whose trying to cover his own ass while getting us to lower our guard down and Miranda could still be alive and waiting for us at the shuttles.' Shepard thought. Time to set Wilson off balance while Jacob looked at him exasperated.

"Then why did she wake me up and warn me about the attack?" That ought to mess with him a little and give Jacob a hint. The soldier didn't get it but it did let the wind out of Wilson's balloon a little.

"Okay, maybe she's not a traitor. But that doesn't change the facts. We're here, she's not. We need to save ourselves." Wilson turned toward the further down the room. "Shuttle bay is only a few..." Anything more he was going to say was stopped when several mechs walked through the door. The three took cover behind crates and walls. Shepard surveyed the room and saw that there were fuel canisters that were flammable. He pointed his omni-tool at it before releasing an overload charge on it. The blew up, destroying the mechs and making a path to the shuttles. Everyone got out of cover before the two looked at Shepard warily. In the dark room, Shepard's visage was actually a little unnerving. Dark grey armor looking jet black with cold eyes gazing out of it, silent at the swift display of destruction that he gave to the mechs.

Wilson was actually nervous because he knew his plan would fail if he messed up even once in Shepard's presence. But he wouldn't hesitate. Once they were in the shuttle, he'd lock himself in the cockpit while the two were in cargo compartment and open the doors while they were in space. All he had to do was get them to the shuttles.

Jacob was somewhat nervous now. He had watched Shepard out of the corner of his eye since meeting him and he was impressed. Shepard was obviously a capable biotic like their records said. His skill with a gun was top-notch and his tech savvy was something to respect, but the way Shepard had used the environment to his advantage so quickly was almost scary. He needed to come clean about who they worked for and could only hope that Shepard wouldn't turn the both of them into paste. Shepard began walking to the doors when Jacob stopped him.

"Ok we took 'em down, but this is getting tense. Shepard, if we tell you who we work for, will you trust me?" Wilson walked up from behind him. If Jacob told Shepard who their boss was he'd most likely kill them! He had to stop him.

"This isn't really the time, Jacob." Wilson said calmly. Jacob glance at him before looking back at Shepard.

"We won't make it, if he's expecting a shot in the back." Shepard almost snorted when he heard that. Oh, Jacob was safe... for the moment. But Wilson? Oh he wasn't letting Wilson out of his sight. Seeing Shepard's gaze on them, Wilson relented, hoping that Shepard wouldn't kill the two of them.

"If you want to piss off the boss, it's your ass Jacob." He said as he leaned against some crates with his arms crossed.

"The Lazarus Project, the program that rebuilt you... It's funded and controlled by Cerberus." As soon as Jacob said Cerberus, it all clicked in Shepard's mind with the symbols he was seeing everywhere in the station.

His mind was immediately going through everything he knew about Cerberus.

Pro-Human splinter group that was formerly an Alliance black-op.

Experiments to create supersoldiers involving biotics, rachni, and thorian creepers.

The conversion of a pioneer colony into husks.

Corporal Toombs claiming that their scientists caused the Akuze Massacre, a pivotal and traumatic moment in both their lives with Shepard walking away scarred and Toombs being tortured and brutally experimented on.

When things came to a head when they performed a much smaller Akuze on a team of Alliance marines in order cover up whatever they had Armistan Banes working on. When he bought Rear Admiral Kahoku the news that it was his team that was killed. When Kahoku had contacted him weeks later about Cerberus before the organization's scientist euthanized the rear admiral. How Shepard and his crew went on a spree of destroying several Cerberus bases after that.

The organization that was responsible for... for... creating _him_. For trying to recapture him. Trying to reclaim him! Like he was some animal-No! Like was their property! And for two years they had him. Two years he had been held by them. Two years that they could have, and probably had, done anything they wanted to him. His genes, his abilities, even himself! For all he knew they placed a fucking goddamn control chip in his fucking skull!

Shepard pulled his pistol out and his omni-tool flared as he closed the distance between Jacob and himself. In a flash, his omni-blade was at Jacob's neck while his pistol was pointed at a very wide-eyed Wilson's head. White hot anger and adrenaline were coursing through his veins at the moment.

"Give me one good reason why I should let you both live." Shepard hissed, cold blue eyes glaring into Jacob's fear-filled, but determined, dark brown ones.

"Because all we've done is help you. I've told you the truth since we met. I've told you this so I'm asking you to trust me a little more. I know about your past with them." Shepard's eyes narrowed at Jacob. He knew that Cerberus and created him? Jacob seeing this nodded.

"I know they got on your bad side two years ago when you were still a spectre..." Ah, that's what he meant. So Jacob didn't know the whole truth then. Shepard slowly removed his blade from the man's neck and lowered his pistol. The blade vanished, but Shepard didn't put his pistol away. Jacob rubbed his throat. The heat from Shepard's omni-blade still present on his skin.

"Look, I'd be suspicious too. But right now, we have to work together. I thought you deserved to know what's what. Once we're off the station, I'll take you to the Illusive Man. He'll explain everything. I promise." Shepard raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Illusive Man? Is he in charge of all this?"

"Yeah. That's not his real name of course. Nobody knows who he really is." Wilson piped up from behind Jacob, relieved that Shepard had lowered his weapons from them.

"It was a code name the Alliance used for him. It kinda stuck." Jacob supplied with a shrug. The Illusive Man? Could he be... No, he didn't have the time nor did he really care at the moment.

"I don't care what they did or what you say. I don't even care what his name is, he just needs to answer my questions... all of them." Shepard said muttering the last part as he began to walk away.

"You can tell it to the boss. After we've saved our butts. He spent a lot of money and time bringing you back. I'm sure he'll be more than happy to tell you whatever you want to know." Jacob said following after him.

"It's not much farther to the shuttle bay." Wilson stated as he walked ahead of them. Shepard kept a close eye on him with pistol raised. Wilson led them through a hall with crates, down some stairs and to an area that held more than a few electric signatures. Wilson opened the door to reveal the shuttle bay and shipping area. Between the Ghost of the Terminus, the Cerberus Operative and the technician, the nine hacked mechs stood no chance. Not with Shepard using adrenaline and disruptor ammo, Jacob using incendiary ammo and pull, and Wilson overloading their circuits.

Thankfully, it was only LOKI mechs and no YMIR mechs which made it so easy. Wilson limped ahead of the two while Shepard held Jacob back. Jacob looked at him questioningly as Shepard but finger in front of where his mouth was in a quieting motion. Jacob went along with it out of curiosity. Shepard nodded to Wilson making Jacob glance at the man before looking back at Shepard. Shepard then pointed to the destroyed mechs behind them before taking his pistol pointing it behind his own back. Jacob finally got the message.

Wilson, mechs, gun to the back. Wilson hacked the mechs and shot everyone in the back. Wilson betrayed them. Jacob tried to deny it silently but Shepard took his pistol and pointed it at his own leg before nodding back to Wilson. Jacob's eyes widened as Shepard's eyes jumped briefly like (See? Now do you get it?) Jacob shook his head before moving to Wilson. Shepard rolled his eyes before joining him standing beside Jacob but behind Wilson with a firm grip on his pistol. He aimed his pistol at the back of Wilson's head before Shepard felt something. On the other side of the door was a biotic signature. A pretty powerful one too. Definitely not your average one. Shepard lowered his pistol and waited as Wilson hacked through the lockdown protocols.

Jacob looked at him with a smug look. (See? He wouldn't do this.)

Shepard just gestured to the door in front of them. (Just wait and watch.) Jacob looked at him in confusion before watching.

"C'mob, through here. We're almost at the..." Wilson said putting the finishing touches on the door. Soon he'd be done with this. Shepard will be given to the Shadow Broker and he'd be set for life! The door opened revealing another figure one that horrified Wilson, shocked Jacob and momentarily stunned Shepard.

It was a woman. Shepard would say she was gorgeous. She had blue eyes and dark long hair. Fair skin. Clad in armor similar to Jacob's that showed off her marvelous figure with high heels. Shepard watched as her face turned into a scowl which was directed to Wilson.

"Miranda... but you were..." Before Wilson could finish his sentence Miranda raised her pistol and blasted Wilson right between the eyes. Shepard's gaze never left Miranda as she pulled the trigger, nor did it leave her as the back of Wilson's head exploded from the round. As Wilson's body crumpled to the ground, Shepard had gotten a decent overview of what Miranda Lawson was and the first two words that described her were Femme Fatale. She was dangerous.

"Dead?" She prompted unceremoniously. Shepard aimed his pistol at her reading for any reactions he might get that would reveal more of her. He glanced at the shuttle in case she had anyone else that had weapon trained on him. Jacob looked at Wilson's corpse before looking at Miranda in shock.

"What the hell are you doing?" He asked.

"My job. Wilson betrayed us all." She stated in a neutral voice as she walked around the corpse. She didn't seem to care that Shepard had a weapon aimed for her head. Seeing that she wouldn't shoot him, Shepard lowered gun.

"Told you, Jacob. Wilson was the one who did it." Shepard said making the two look at him. Jacob was still shocked that Shepard, who'd only known Wilson a short time had been able to figure it out so quickly when he, someone who'd spent two years working with the man hadn't been able to. Miranda looked at Shepard with a calculating look with a small amount of respect hidden those blue eyes of hers.

"Good instincts. Some people are far too trusting to ever see that coming." Miranda gestured to the shuttle. "Come one. Let's grab this shuttle and get out of here. My boss wants to speak with you."

"You mean the Illusive Man? I know you work for Cerberus." Shepard said looking at her with same calculating stare she gave him. Miranda's eyes glared at Jacob.

"Ah, Jacob. I should've known your conscience would get the better of you." She said dryly. Jacob wasn't intimidated by her glare but he did straighten his posture, no doubt due to being in the military for so long.

"Lying to him isn't the way to get him to join our cause." Jacob said earnestly. Miranda sighed before turning to Shepard again.

"Well, since we're getting everything out in the open, is there anything else you want to ask before we go, Shepard?" Now he might be able to get a better idea of what they've been doing.

"You're the Lazarus Project's director, aren't you." Miranda nodded.

"That's right. I put two years of my life into this project. Into you." Shepard's eyes narrowed slightly.

"What does Cerberus want from me?" They had something up their sleeve. He just knew it.

"Maybe you should ask the Illusive man when you meet him. He poured virtually unlimited funds into Lazarus. Obviously he has some kind of plan for you." She stated and Shepard resisted the urge to roll his eyes. No shit he already figured that part out. Wait... she most likely knows he realized this. So she's going to play hardball huh? His eyes trailed to the shuttle behind her.

"Where are we going?"

"Another Cerberus facility. The Illusive Man is waiting for you there." She offered nothing more than that. It was what it was. The answer to his question yet not what he really wanted.

"I'm not sure I trust you." He stated.

"This is the only shuttle off the station. You want to stay and rot with the mechs, be my guest." She replied with touch more bite in her tone. It was subtle but there. Jacob looked at her with a small amount of shock before he schooled his features. Ooooh He was starting to get past that little facade of hers if she was bluffing. He just had to apply a little more pressure.

"Convenient that you show up just as we're leaving. We're were you during the attack?" He asked. What had happened to her when the comm-link cut out.

"Besides trying to save your life?" She said with that small bite missing now. Oh well. "Wilson figured out I was helping you when he sent an army of mechs to take me out. I got here as soon as I could." She looked at Wilson's body and Shepard could've sworn he saw an incredibly tiny smirk on her lips. "Probably a little too soon if you ask Wilson."

"What about the rest of the people on this station?"

"This is the evac area. If they aren't here now, they're not coming." Miranda said shaking her head. Well that was a little pessimistic even if the odds weren't in their favor.

"We can't leave without knowing for sure. We need to go back and look."

"Don't you get it? The only one worth saving is you. Everyone else is expendable." Miranda stated, showing her earlier stance of leaving Shepard to be a fluke. Before Shepard could protest against that Jacob jumped into the conversation.

"She's right. We all knew the risks when we signed up. Without you, there's no point to any of this." Shepard didn't say word to that statement. He couldn't in good conscience leave without at least trying but these were two more inclined to being right than he was. With a sigh Shepard backed up a little from the two causing them to look at him one in curiosity, the other in exasperation.

Jacob wondered if Shepard really was going to search the station from top to bottom while Miranda wanted to groan. Shepard's morality and definitely been brought back but it was becoming a hindrance if he was going to waste valuable time.

But Shepard did not leave the area. The two watched as Shepard's biotic aura surrounded him and started pulsing. The Ghost of the Terminus close this eyes as he focused on each pulse as it traveled through the station. It wasn't as powerful as it once was but it encompassed a good portion of the station. Far more than Shepard had traveled since waking up. And he found no one alive. He opened his eyes to find the two Cerberus agents looking at him in curiosity, wondering just what he had done.

"Let's go." was all he said as he walked passed Miranda. She watched him before following after with Jacob right next to her. Both were wondering what Shepard was trying to do by pulsing his biotic aura. If Miranda didn't know any better she would have thought he was using his biotics like some type of echolocation. But that wasn't possible. No biotic could do that. Not even Shepard. Jacob had to suppress a smirk at seeing the disgruntled look on Miranda's face as she tried to figure what Shepard had done. It wasn't often he'd seen her so puzzled. With Shepard now awake, things were going to get crazy now.

As these thoughts flew in the minds of the Operative and Officer the Ghost's thoughts were of his friends and crew. What had they done after he was gone? Were they happy? Did they get stronger? Did they do what they had set out to do? And what of himself? What new path lay for him now? What was to happen now that he was going back to the man who had ordered his creation?

* * *

 **Shuttle**

* * *

The shuttle containing the trio speed away from the station and entered FTL heading towards the next station. Inside, Shepard had taken his helmet off and was looking out into space. Ever since he was little he had always loved the stars. So distant yet so beautiful that he wouldn't change what they represented to him: new life, new worlds, new people, new experiences. Orange scars in his reflection did draw his notice though every now and then.

Across from him, Jacob Taylor was watching him carefully. The man in front of him was obviously a juggernaut of power yet he could sit so still content in watching vast emptiness of space. Jacob couldn't really do that. He needed to be doing something. Miranda came out of the cockpit after setting the shuttle on auto-pilot and sat beside Jacob.

"Before you meet with Illusive Man, we need to ask a few questions to evaluate your condition." She said but Shepard just continued to stare out the window. The only acknowledgment that he showed that he was listening was 'hmmm.'

"Come on, Miranda. More tests? Shepard took down those mechs without any trouble. That has to be good enough." Jacob said bringing Miranda's gaze to him.

"It's been two years since the attack. The Illusive Man needs to know that Shepard's personality and memories are intact. Ask the questions." Her statement drew Shepard's attention.

"So I've really been gone 2 years? That long huh?" He asked as he looked at the two in front of him. Jacob nodded.

"Two years and 12 days. And you were on an operating table for most of it." Shepard figured that much considering the amount cybernetics he had implanted in him.

"The sooner we start, the sooner we can be done. Start with personal history." Miranda told Jacob. With a sigh his omni-tool flared illuminating the dark room as he began getting the necessary data.

"Records show you were colony kid and lost your mother in a slaver raid. Your earliest known record show you coming back as the Ghost of the Terminus. Catchy name." Shepard smirked at that. "Afterwards, we have three big events that happened while you were the Ghost. The first one was when you were fighting batarians during the Skyllian Blitz. Do you remember that?" Oh yeah, he remembered.

"Leans Haliat and the Batarian Hegemony." His answer made Miranda and Jacob look at each other with questioning glances before Miranda broke the silence.

"What?" Shepard looked at her curiously with the beginning of a smirk coming onto his face.

"You don't know? Looks like someone forgot to do their homework." Miranda's eye nearly twitched at his tone, but he decided to tell them. "The attack on Elysium was orchestrated by Elanos Haliat, a pirate who had been backed by Hegemony forces to attack Elysium under the guise of a slave/pirate raid. A lot people were depending on me to hold that position. I did what was needed." Miranda's eyes narrowed at the information Shepard had given. Why was she now hearing about this? Did the Illusive Man not know?

"However you want to put it, it was damned impressive. I had friends who were there at the time. Said if you hadn't sent the warning about the attack they would've died." Shepard smiled knowing that there had been some people who still remember what had happened on Elysium so long ago.

"Okay next, You survived a thresher maw attack that wiped out the rest of the marine team stationed there. Do you remember that?" All too well, yes.

"Yes, I do. I watched a lot of good men die that day. Something like that changes you. It can break you, if you let it." Jacob looked at the floor.

"I read the report. 50 marines died on Akuze. You were the only one who lived." Before Jacob could continue with the next question Shepard stopped him.

"You're wrong." He stated causing the two to look at him questioningly.

"Pardon?" Miranda asked.

"It wasn't 50 marines that died that day. It was 49. There was one other survivor. And you know what he told me?" He asked causing Jacob to shake his head while Miranda narrowed her eyes.

"He told that Cerberus scientists had let it happen. In an effort to study the maws and the acidic spit. I got away, but the other survivor got caught by the scientists. He said that basically he had to endure terrible experiments. You two wouldn't happen to know anything about that would you?" He asked. He knew Jacob wouldn't. It was above his pay grade. Miranda on the other hand? She might, but form the look on her face he couldn't tell if she was angry with him that he revealed in front of a now horrified Jacob or that she was mad that it wasn't made known to her by her colleagues. Oh well.

"I suppose not. Go ahead and ask the next question, Jacob. I've got a feeling I know what it's going to be about." Shepard said laying back against the wall with a smug look plastered on his face. It was fun getting under their skin like this but he knew that was coming to an end with this next topic. Jacob seemed to shake himself out of his stupor enough to hear what Shepard had said. He checked his omni-tool for more records.

"Um, uh, okay. Records also show you led troops during some heavy fighting, most notably on Torfan. Do remember taking on the batarian slavers?" Shepard's smug look morphed into a scowl. As soon as the scowl came it disappeared.

"Those bastards were dug in deep in a fortified bunker. I sent a lot of good soldiers to their deaths. That's how it had to be." Shepard said with finality. The memories of that battle still let a bad taste in his mouth even now.

"You got the job. That's all that matters." Jacob replied before checking his records again. Shepard looked at him curiously. The way he spoke... Jacob seemed almost resigned about that way of thinking.

"Satisfied Miranda?" Jacob asked turning to his superior.

"Almost. Let's try something more recent." Miranda gazed at Shepard with a piercing stare. What would she ask him?

"Virmire," Ah, that one. "where you destroyed Saren's cloning facility. You had to leave one of your squad behind to die in the blast." Shepard looked at her strangely this time. Huh?

"Lt. Kaidan Alenko was killed in action. It was your call. Why did you leave him behind?" What the fuck?! Shepard looked at the two in bewildered state before giving the two a pointed glare.

"You're either lying to me or your project failed in some aspect." He growled. Jacob looked somewhat nervous while Miranda's lips looked like they were quirking a little. "Because from what I remember, Kaidan, while the most likely to die, made it to us and me, along with my ENTIRE team made it out of there alive and well." Miranda held a small smile now.

"You are correct. Sorry for the deception but we had to see if you did remember what happened." Jacob nodded alongside her.

"Yeah. By some unknown means you had provided a distraction to give Lt. Alenko time to get to while the bomb was protected even though the mission could've been jeopardized."

"Are you questioning my methods?" Jacob shook his head fervently.

"No, Sir. I respect that you were able to get your entire team out safely and still accomplish the mission. I wasn't judging your decision. Everyone at Cerberus knows that cloning facility had to be destroyed. You getting your team out just made it more famous." Or infamous. Shepard remembered that some of his 'supposed superiors' scolded him for it. He was practically ready to tell them to screw off at the end. Miranda's next question brought Shepard back on track.

"Shepard, think back to the Citadel, after the Alliance saved the Destiny Ascension, and you killed Saren. What happened next?" Shepard raised an eyebrow at her question. Was she talking about Sovereign possessing Saren and kicking the hell out him and his team, or was she talking about Humanity being offered a seat on the Council? If Cerberus really had his body for two years then they may know about Overdrive. But they also might not. If that was the case he had to make sure they didn't know about the Overdrive for as long as he could. If they did...

"Humanity was offered a spot on the Council. I recommended Captain Anderson for the position." He said. Dear God, he hoped that was what she meant. To his relief, Miranda nodded.

"Yes, Captain Anderson is now Councilor Anderson. Though from what I hear, he preferred life in the military." Shepard grinned when he heard that. He couldn't help but wonder how the old soldier was doing. Hopefully he steered Humanity in the right direction in the he'd been gone.

"Still good to know that the human Council member isn't going to put politics ahead of defense." Shepard nodded with an I-know-right? look.

"Your memory seems solid. There are other tests we should run..." Jacob cut her off though Miranda seemed to be considering not doing any more tests for the moment.

"Come on, Miranda. Enough with the quizzes. The memories are there, and I can vouch for Shepard's combat skills... personally." Jacob said rubbing his throat absently at the last part. This caught Miranda's attention making her wonder just what happened with the two when they met. Seeing Shepard looking at her, she nodded in acceptance.

"I suppose you're right. We'll have to hope that the Illusive Man accepts our little field test as evidence enough." She said meeting Shepard's look with a casual glance. The compartment settled into silence for a few minutes before Shepard broke it.

"So tell me..." The two looked at him curiously as he leaned towards them with his arms resting on his knees. "what's been going in the galaxy while the Big Bad Ghost has been out of commission?" Shepard wore a feral grin making even Miranda a little nervous. Him leaving hadn't been in the cards, but now that he was back it was time make sure the galaxy hadn't let things go. And if they had... he was going to have stir was stuff up to keep them on their toes. Especially if the Reapers were coming.

* * *

 **Okay! Wow! I'm surprised by the amount of words I used and this was only like what? The first level? Damn!**

 **I've hoped you enjoyed it.**

 **Please favorite,** **follow and/or review.**

 **BTW: Word count without this message: 15,240!**

 **Hope that helps make up for the hiatuses!**


	3. Freedom's Progress: Part 1

Recap: "So tell me..." The two looked at him curiously as he leaned towards them with his arms resting on his knees. "what's been going in the galaxy while the Big Bad Ghost has been out of commission?" Shepard wore a feral grin making even Miranda a little nervous. Him leaving hadn't been in the cards, but now that he was back it was time make sure the galaxy hadn't let things go. And if they had... he was going to have stir some stuff up to keep them on their toes. Especially if the Reapers were coming.

* * *

 **Now**

* * *

The shuttle lurched as it exited FTL. Shepard had spent the last couple of hours speaking to the two about recent history. They talked about recent galactic history with how human relations with the rest of the galaxy have improved in no small part to his influence, especially in regards to Anderson. Then there was the thermal clip which got a mixed reaction from him. On one hand it was brilliant since it could mean more firepower for the shooter. On the other, it was like taking a step backwards toward limited ammunition. And this was all due to what everyone called 'The Eden Prime War' which was pretty much what he had witnessed and participated in two years ago.

He had been a little pissed about how slavers had started going crazy in the time he'd been gone, but the anger he felt was numbed by how they hadn't been very successful due to some outside influence. From what Miranda had told him someone had a private army of advanced mechs attacking slavers when they raid. When Jacob had told him that these mechs seemed to be employing advanced strategy: stealth, trapping, subterfuge, even flanking; Shepard couldn't help but smile. He had an idea of who was behind it.

Looking out the widow, slightly blinded by the system's star at first, Shepard saw a huge space station hovering over a planet. Not as big as the Citadel or even Omega for that matter, but bigger than most. It showed no sign of allegiance to anyone even though it had transport ships and what looked like a frigate drifting around it. Most likely thought this place was safe and out of reach. The shuttle came closer and entered one of the docks, bumping a little before settling down. The three walked out of it with Miranda taking up the lead. Shepard took note of the many turns, doors and few elevators they had to go through just in case he needed to make an escape.

The trio eventually came to what looked like some kind of waiting room. It was sterile white with some grey on the walls with the Cerberus insignia on them. There were 8 rows of rather uncomfortable looking chairs next to the two windows looking out into space. To his right were some technicians working in an office. One of them casted a wary glance at him before going back to work.

"The Illusive Man is waiting for you in the other room." Miranda said walking to a terminal, pointing to a hallway further down.

"I wouldn't keep the Illusive Man waiting." Jacob said having walked away to the window and stared out of it. Shepard looked at the hallway that would lead him towards where they had said the Illusive Man was before something clicked into his mind. He wasn't drugged or cuffed. Hell, he still had his weapons! He walked up toward Miranda who had stopped typing upon seeing his approach.

"Is something wrong?" She asked with raised eyebrow. Shepard nodded.

"Your boss isn't really here is he?" The response to his question was Miranda's other eyebrow raising. A small smirk came onto her face.

"How did you come to that conclusion, if I may ask?" Shepard gestured to his pistol.

"You haven't disarmed me or drugged me recently. So either your boss has an armed escort in the next room or your boss isn't here. Since you've taken so long to bring me back you wouldn't want me damaged before we could get to work so the armed escort thing is unlikely versus the Illusive Man's absence." He explained. Miranda nodded with her expression morphing into one of slight respect.

"So the stories about your intelligence are true. Capable of discerning a situation on only a few facts no matter how small."

"Some have called me a modern day Sherlock Holmes from time to time." Shepard replied remembering Isaac and Chun's comments several years back. Miranda didn't chuckle at his statement though her eyes were tinged with amusement at his deadpanned expression.

"You are correct, Shepard. You're not Cerberus and given your... past experience with us, the Illusive Man believed it would be the most progressive, and least painful, way to meet." Shepard couldn't help but humph.

"Smart choice then, I suppose." Miranda's neutral voice turned a bit colder towards him after that comment.

"Rest assured, Shepard. If you had tried anything in an actual meeting with the Illusive Man, I wouldn't hesitate to kill you. Lazarus or no." Shepard looked at her for a moment assessing her. He turned his gaze toward Jacob who seemed to be listening in before assessing the former soldier. Shepard actually smirked.

"Let's get the facts out into the open Ms. Lawson." Shepard said turning to her. Her expression betrayed nothing from her but he could feel her biotic aura being tense. Good.

"You and Jacob both are way above the average grunts I meet. You've probably guessed that I'm currently not as powerful as I was before you brought me back." Miranda's eyes narrowed at his statement. So she had. A glance at Jacob told him he hadn't even thought about given by how wide his eyes were. "But your abilities have waned as well."

At his statement both tensed. Shepard held back a scoff. "I know what two years of no training can do to one's body. I've no doubt that you're both a good Cerberus Officer, Miranda, and you're a good Cerberus Operative, Jacob. But make no mistake, I know that your biotic abilities are only at a starting point right now, Jacob. As for you Miranda, you're strong, but you've let your biotic gifts wane because of your time working on Project Lazarus." He could tell just by sensing them.

"As for myself... well of my powers have suffered. My tech abilities is my equipment's fault which can be remedied easily enough. As for my physical abilities that will require training, provided I have enough time. For biotics, well, it's going to be tedious having to relearn a few abilities while having to strengthen others. But as I am right now, I do believe I could take you both on and win." Shepard said smiling at the end. Jacob was unnerved by that smile on Shepard's face, his hand going back to his throat as he remembered Shepard's blade being mere millimeters from it. Shepard walked down the hall to go meet the Illusive Man leaving the two alone. Once he was out of sight Miranda walked up to Jacob.

"Did something happen between you and Shepard, Jacob?" She having noticed his behavior. Jacob wasn't one to be so easily intimidated even if it was Shepard. Jacob nodded at her question.

"Our records should have said Shepard was more than unnerving." He said causing her to raise an eyebrow at him. He didn't pay no mind to it though as he kept talking. "All the records stated that he was stronger and skilled than most, as well as more intelligent, but I didn't think he could move as fast as he did when I told him about Cerberus." Jacob looked outside while Miranda stood beside him.

"What did he do?"

"For a split second, the information about Cerberus seemed to sink in and then he had closed the distance between the two us and had me and Wilson at gun-point. Not to mention at blade-point too." Jacob causing Miranda's eyes to widen. Shepard had really threatened Jacob? Wait, of course he would! If what Shepard said was true, and given past experience with Cerberus, then he'd definitely not trust any Cerberus personnel especially considering that debacle with that agent that had been on the Normandy. She'd have to make sure to keep a wary eye on Shepard. At the moment he seemed calm and collected, but he could very well be volatile at any moment.

"I should have expected as much." She muttered causing Jacob to shake his head.

"Don't. Shepard usually is unpredictable in some cases. The records show that Shepard tends to do the right thing most times but he also isn't afraid to get his hands dirty." Miranda nodded in agreement. Whatever the Illusive Man had planned for Shepard, she hoped he wouldn't cause any damage.

* * *

 **Meanwhile with Shepard**

* * *

Shepard had walked down the stairs to come to a single room. It couldn't have been more than twenty by twenty feet and was devoid of furniture and people. In the middle of the floor was a cylindrical pad that was outlined by two lines. He looked around the room briefly once more before walking onto the pad. He stood there for a few seconds until an orange light rose up from the pad. Briefly startled, he studied the light, noticing how it was scanning his person. He relaxed when he realized what was going on.

'So, that's how we'll meet. This communications device scans me and he'll see me in the room.' Shepard thought out before seeing the room suddenly darkening. From the ground up, he saw what looked like a black tile floor form in place of the gray metal floor he'd walked on. He watched as it formed more and more. When the light reached his eyes he could see the room as it finished. He admired the room, large and dark with a star that seemed to be blue all around but red in the center. Quite the view. His attention was drawn to the figure when they took a drag of a cigarette in their hand, casually sitting in a chair in what could've been a few yards from him. Shepard studied the man in front of him.

He looked like he could be in his early fifties, maybe his late forties. Dark brown, greying hair that was swept back. Wore a Giuli Vorn suit. 'He's got class. I'll give him that.' His eyes caught Shepard's attention the most.

'So it's true... He really is my biological father.' Steel blue irises that were almost synthetic to anyone else, bore into him. But Shepard knew that something had happened to the man to make his eyes like that. Something that didn't use eye surgery if his Overdrive was any indication.

On the Illusive Man's side, he was doing some studying of his own on Shepard. Tall. Dr. Shepard's blue eyes. Determined gaze. Calm. Quick to analyze the situation. Being repaired for two years seemed to have only slowed him down which can easily be picked back up with some work. He noted the pistol on Shepard's hip, glowing with blue lights. Obviously knew what he had been fighting and what best to use against it. Good. Very good. 'It looks like your mother's gifts to you held up nicely.'

"John Shepard." He greeted softly, exhaling the smoke he'd been holding from his cigarette. Shepard crossed his arms.

"Illusive Man." He greeted back neutrally. The Illusive Man regarded Shepard with knowing eyes.

"I've been wanting to meet you for a long time now. It's good we have the opportunity."

"Yeah, I suppose you have. After all I'm..." He looked up in thought before looking back at the Illusive Man. "What was it? Subject Alpha? Or is it Subject Lazarus now?" The Illusive Man's expression remained neutral and he was too far way for Shepard to see his eyes to tell if it might've gotten to him.

"So you know?" He asked in calm voice. Shepard nodded.

"For awhile now." The Illusive Man took another drag out of his cigarette as he studied Shepard. This situation had crossed his mind before, however unlikely it was. Dr. Shepard either told him or Agent Stanley or one of the personnel from the bases Shepard raided in the past must've let it slip.

"I see. I do apologize for the trouble my agents and their cells have given you in the past as well as what you've gone through recently. I am glad however that Project Alpha was a success in regard to you." Shepard raised an eyebrow at him.

"Success? Do you have more like me?" The Illusive Man shook his head negatively being entirely truthful.

"No. The data has been lost for years now. You are the only subject from that project. Your skills, powers and intelligence shows me it was a success. And perhaps Humanity only needed one." Shepard almost scowled at him.

"My abilities do not affect the person I am now." He stated. The Illusive Man nodded.

"Of course. I didn't mean to imply otherwise. Just musing of how much of a part your gifts played in your life." For a moment Shepard almost felt like the man in front of him had a hold on him before he smirked.

"Yeah, they did." He admitted. "But, I never accomplished any of it, or got as far as I did, on my own." The Illusive Man gave Shepard an appraising look. Despite all of his power and his past, Shepard seemed to prefer working in a group. Perfect. Shepard having saw this decided to lay things where they stood between them.

"You might be the reason I'm alive, but that doesn't mean I trust you." The Illusive Man gave him a neutral look.

"You need to put your personal feelings aside. Humanity's up against the greatest threat to our brief existence." Shepard scowled this time knowing what he meant.

"The Reapers." Tapping his cigarette into the ashtray built into his chair, the Illusive Man nodded.

"Good, to see your memory is still in tact. How are you feeling?" Shepard uncrossed his arms and raised his left hand a little before clinching it. He remembered all the implants they put into him for his resurrection.

"I noticed a few upgrades. I hope you didn't replace anything really important." He prompted. He didn't want admit it but he was a little anxious about what they had done to... 'certain' parts of his anatomy. If the Illusive Man had figured out his meaning he didn't say anything up front.

"We tried to keep you as intact as possible. We need Shepard-just as you were when you defeated Sovereign." 'Now to business.' Shepard thought as he lowered his hand.

"What are the Reapers doing that made you decide to bring me back?" The Illusive Man stood out of his chair to look Shepard in the eye. Shepard noted the confidence and hint of swagger in the man's step as he approached him.

"We're at war. No one wants to admit it, but humanity is under attack. While you've been sleeping, entire colonies have been disappearing. Human colonies." Shepard raised an eyebrow. Only humans? Why? At his silent question the Illusive Man continued. "We believe it's someone working for the Reapers. Just as Saren and the geth aided Sovereign. You've seen it yourself. You bested all of them. That's just one reason we chose you." Shepard's eyes narrowed in thought.

"If this is a threat against humanity, you need to mobilize the Alliance." The Alliance was pretty much humanity's representative in the galaxy so they should be able to respond unless something... held... them... back... shit! The Illusive Man nodded seeing Shepard had reached the same conclusion.

"They suffered substantial losses fighting Sovereign. They're rebuilding, still stretched too thin to waste resources on verifying the Reaper threat. Even with all those areas you surveyed for them back then. Blaming the abductions on mercs and pirates is easier and more convenient." Great! They dropped the ball with him gone! Now who else could help save colonies? He looked at the Illusive Man again. They were ready and willing. But why?

"Fighting a war doesn't seem like Cerberus. Why are you involved?" From what he knew, back then Cerberus seemed small time. Had he and his team only scratched the surface two years ago? Or had Cerberus grown in his absence? Or worse both?

"We are committed to the advancement and preservation of humanity. If the Reapers are targeting us, trying to wipe us out, Cerberus will stop them." Shepard could hear the conviction in his voice. "If we wait for politicians or the Alliance to act... no more human colonies will be left." Shepard thought back to Project Lazarus. They'd spent over four billion credits on bringing him back for two years. Credits and time that could've been put to use in expanding and advancing Cerberus itself.

"You could've trained an entire army for what you spent to bring me back." An army could've covered more space, outclassed him and got intel faster.

"You're unique. Not just in ability or what you've experienced, but in what you represent. You stood for humanity at a key moment. You're more than a soldier or vigilante-you're a symbol." Dammit! If it hadn't been do or die at that moment he'd have let someone else step in. "And I don't know if the Reapers understand fear, but you killed one. They have to respect that."

Well, that was a flattering speech, but there was more to it than that. Shepard knew he'd had to have taken out a large number of resources out of Cerberus. Personnel for the most part could be replaced easily. The rachni, throian creepers, and husks they studied that he destroyed? Yeah that was probably expensive. The Illusive Man had charm to go along with everyone else. He was good. But for the moment he needed to know more. Were the Reapers really involved or were these some major slaver raids?

"Sovereign was trying to harvest all life in the galaxy. Why would the Reapers target a few human colonies?" He'd understand if it were slavers since they targeted small colonies . Batarian slavers tended to attack human colonies more than the others any ways.

"Hundreds of thousands of colonists have vanished. I'd say that fits the definition of 'harvesting.'" There was no lie in the Illusive Man's tone as he looked at Shepard grimly. Shepard was in stunned silence. H-Hundreds... of thousands?! That's definitely too big for any normal slaver operation! Not even the ones operating on Torfan had racked up that count! But how could anyone not know or let this happen? He glared at the Illusive Man to explain.

"Nobody's paying attention because it's random and the attacks occur in remote locations. I don't know why they've suddenly targeted humanity. Maybe you got their attention when you killed one of them." He explained calmly. Shepard's back was against a proverbial wall now. Whatever has happened to those colonists is outside of Alliance jurisdiction and was most likely in his neck of the woods. If the Reapers were behind this then it was because of his influence that had drawn their attention to humans in general. He couldn't in good conscious let them keep going like this. He also couldn't let the Reapers get away with this.

"If what you say is true... if the Reapers are behind this... If you're after the Reapers, just point me in the right direction." A small smile came on to the Illusive Man's lips.

"Miranda was worried you might be resistant. She's not usually wrong." Shepard's eye twitched.

"But only IF it's the Reapers would I consider helping you." Shepard added. If there was anything fishy going on, he was catching the first shuttle off this station, and causing a little hell on the way out. Shepard felt a little happy at seeing the small smile fade off from the Illusive Man's face. That feeling went away when a smirk replaced it.

"So not completely wrong then. No matter. I suppose I'd be disappointed if you accepted any of this without seeing for yourself." The Illusive Man turned back and walked to his chair.

"I have a shuttle ready to take you to Freedom's Progress, the latest colony to be abducted. Miranda and Jacob will brief you." He finished as he sat down.

"Miranda killed Wilson in cold blood. Jacob's just a gun for hire. You expect me to trust them?" He asked. He could probably handle whatever was down there on the colony anyway. He didn't like the idea of working with other people who weren't his squad.

"Wilson was one of my best agents. But he was a traitor." The Illusive Man retorted running a hand on his forehead thinking about other possible traitors in his organization. "Miranda did what I expected of her. And she saved your life in more ways than one." The Illusive Man took his cigarette and tapped it on the ashtray, knocking away some ash before taking another drag. "Jacob's a soldier, one of the best. He's never fully trusted me, but he's always been honest about it. You'll be fine with them... for now."

Shepard made sure his eyes didn't narrow at that last part. The Illusive Man was so confident that he'd stay. And it seemed that whatever he had planned involved more people later.

"Is this a volunteer job or am I being volunteered?" He asked though it almost sound like a demand.

"You always have a choice, Shepard. If you don't find the evidence we're both looking for, we can part ways. But first, go to Freedom's Progress. Find any clues you can. Who's abducting the colonies? Do they have a connection to the Reapers?" That was quite the subtle order, wrapped up to sound like a suggestion. "I've brought you back. It's up to you to do the rest."

The conservation was over with those words. A blue screen popped up on the Illusive Man's chair. He pressed it and the connection was cut. Shepard walked back into the waiting room thinking about what he was going to need for this mission. He'd need more than a pistol for a ranged weapon, that was for sure. Thinking on his new squadmates, he figured he should apologize for his behavior. He had been, perhaps, a bit more threatening than he should have. Walking back into the same hall he left them, he found both not having really moved away from their places. Miranda was typing on a terminal while Jacob was looking out the window.

Miranda noticed his approach before looking back at the screen of her computer. "The Illusive Man is very impressed with you. I'm eager to see if you can live up to his expectations on this mission." She said in an even tone. Okay, she's mad.

"I know that neither of us really enjoy this, but I can't have anyone disobeying my commands when we get there." Shepard said. That might've been a bit strong.

"I know who I report to. As long as you don't do anything to betray Cerberus, I'll follow your orders." Well, she's still mad but now he knew she was a loyalist. He rubbed the back of his head in annoyance.

"Sorry about the whole 'I can take you on and win' thing. It was wrong of me to say that. I never did say how much I appreciated what the Lazarus Project did for me. So thank you." Miranda looked at him with calculating eyes as she stopped typing. For moment he thought that was all he was going to have to say and move on to Jacob before she responded.

"I just hope it was worth it. A lot of people lost their lives on that station." Her tone was softer this time. So she wasn't a complete ice queen then. That's good. He could work with that. But she still had an attitude which might cause problems. Better drag it out into the open.

"We have to work together, here. Your attitude isn't helping anything." Her facade cracked slightly before it shifted back into place again.

"I have the utmost respect for you abilities. It's your motivations that concern me. I believe in what Cerberus stands for. Only time will tell if you prove to be an asset or liability to our cause." Ah so that was why. Not completely unknown, but not completely known either. She can't find a way to predict what he'll do. Shepard's eyes looked past her to the window and he could see some of his reflection. Most notably his scars.

"I'd like to know more about the Lazarus Project from the person in charge." He muttered feeling his scars with his hand. It was unnerving with how they glowed.

"I wasn't in charge. The Illusive Man was. If I was running the show, we'd have done things differently." He had a sinking feeling when she said that.

"I'm almost afraid to ask, but what would you have changed?" He said before he could stop himself. Miranda had an air of cold indifference with her eyes being neutral.

"To start, I would have implanted you with some type of a control chip." Right at that moment, Shepard really wanted hit her. He wasn't for hitting a woman, but what she had wanted to do crossed a line you never crossed with him. "But the Illusive Man wouldn't allow it." That was some points in her bosses favor then.

"He was afraid it might affect your personality. Alter your character somehow. He wouldn't let us do anything that might limit your potential in any way."

"Good thing he was in charge then." He said almost growling. At her curious look he elaborated. "All that work you put into me would have gone to waste because it would most likely end with one of us dead. Probably me." He scoffed at her serious expression, "You think I was targeting slavers for just vengeance? I targeted them because what they were doing is personal affront to all sentient races in my mind. I'd rather die than be someone's slave."

"The Illusive Man is taking an incredible risk with you. I just hope his gamble pays off." She replied with narrowed eyes. Shepard being too irritated to get to know her decided to ask about the mission.

"What can you tell me about this colony we're going to?" He asked calming his voice down though there was still an edge to it.

"Freedom's Progress? It's a typical human settlement in the Terminus Systems. They had a small military force for protection supplemented by mechs and security drones." Shepard noticed how weak the security sounded. While capable of warding away small forces it wasn't capable of combating anything else.

"Average in almost every way, really. Completely unremarkable... until the disappearance." She finished.

"Any thoughts on what we might run into there?"

"A lot of empty buildings and one giant mystery." Shepard rolled his eyes at her tone. At least she had a sense humor and it wasn't twisted. Having calmed himself down a little he figured it was time to ask Miranda about herself.

"Tell me a little about yourself." Her attention seemed to focus more on him now.

"Worried about my qualifications? I can crush a mech with my biotics or shoot its head off at 100 yards. Take your pick." There was a hint of... loathing in her voice? He couldn't tell what it was exactly but it was negative and for once not aimed at him. Noticing Jacob listening in, he'd wondered how close the two were.

"Did you and Jacob serve together in the Alliance?" Jacob's poorly concealed snort was all the answer Shepard needed while Miranda gave a small glare towards her colleague for eavesdropping.

"No. The Illusive Man recognized my potential and recruited me at a young age." Shepard raised an eyebrow. That was almost too vague.

"How old were you?"

"Old enough to know that was is what I wanted." Shepard nodded at her statement.

"Know what that's like." He said causing her to look at him curiously.

"I'm guessing you were at a relatively young age when you joined Cerberus. I was pretty young when I started training, but I knew for certain of what I wanted. I can see you're not really in the mood to talk, so I'll just leave you." With that Shepard walked away to Jacob. Shepard stood beside the former soldier shoulder to shoulder, gazing outside. After a moment of silence, Shepard spoke first.

"If I were you I wouldn't say anything to her for a while. Especially after that snort you did." He whispered though from stare he could feel boring into the back of his head Miranda heard him all the same. Jacob chuckled having relaxed at the joke. "And sorry about earlier with the whole... yeah."

"Don't worry about it. I'm just glad the Illusive Man convinced you to join us, Shepard." Shepard hmphed.

"I just want to find out what happened to those missing people. I still don't trust Cerberus." Jacob nodded.

"Noted. Do you trust me?" Shepard thought over what he knew about Jacob and found that he was the only one out of all the Cerberus personnel that he could trust... for the moment anyway.

"You're a good man Jacob. But you might be working for the wrong people." Jacob looked away with a scowl on his face.

"Maybe. but I thought the same when I was with the Alliance. That's why I'm here now."

"How long did you serve in the Alliance?" Was this guy more like Kaidan or Ashley?

"Five years in total. Stationed all over the galaxy. Even spent a couple years as a Corsair." Shepard's eyebrows raised at the Corsair part since Anderson and Hackett had offered him the job on Elysium several years ago. Jacob seemed proud of it.

"I was once offered to be a Corsair, but I didn't take it. Didn't like the idea of having a boss at the time. What's it about?"

"It was an Alliance initiative. They hired independent starship captains and used them for missions that fell outside of Alliance jurisdiction." Shepard's eyes widened before his head went down.

"What?" Jacob asked seeing this. Had he said something wrong.

"Just realizing that I had been the equivalent of a Corsair when I was a spectre." Jacob's eyes widened before he grinned.

"How do you figure?" Shepard looked at him.

"There would be times in the hunt for Saren that we wouldn't have a mission. So when that happened I would go to Admiral Hackett and see if he needed anything done that he couldn't have Alliance forces do. I went through more than a few missions he gave me." Shepard explained. Jacob was chuckling.

"You're close but not quite there. We weren't part of the Alliance. We ever got caught, they could disavow any knowledge of us. We were supposed to be free from restrictions and rules, but there was still enough red tape to sink a cruiser. I finally just gave up." Wow. From what he said it sounds like being a spectre was the better job.

"Is that why you joined Cerberus?" He sounded like that was the perfect reason. This guy was somewhat like Ashley, but he was different. Ashley and Kaidan never would've given up on the Alliance.

"I guess I just got tired of never making a difference. So much of what we did in the Alliance seemed pointless. I thought things would change after the attack on the Citadel. Humanity was finally invited to join the Council." He sighed. "But nothing changed. Politics. Bureaucracy. Same bullshit, different leaders." Shepard snorted at that statement causing Jacob to frown at him.

"Cerberus is different. When colonies go missing, we don't commission a team to write a report to figure out what the hell to do about it. We just go and find out." Shepard nodded liking Jacob's style. Guy didn't care about all the protocol, just the mission itself.

"Speaking of colonies, know anything about this one we're going to?" Jacob shrugged.

"It's called Freedom's Progress. Don't know much else. I guess we'll find out when we get there." That was when Miranda butted into their conversation.

"We have an assignment. We can talk about it, or we can do it." Shepard rolled his eyes before turning to her.

"Well, when are we going?" He asked exasperatedly. Miranda walked up to them.

"We'll be leaving soon. They're refueling the shuttle and our weapons should be arriving soon." She responded.

"Weapons? Good, I was afraid I'd have to use a half-loaded pistol and an empty grenade launcher for this mission." Shepard commented dryly. Jacob smirked while Miranda merely rolled her eyes. The group waited for some time before their weaponry arrived. The shuttle was ready to go and their weapons had arrived in crate. Shepard looked at the contents and almost snorted at the weapons they had given them. It was the most basic looking ones he'd seen!

"They could only get us these on short notice." Jacob said as he looked over an M-23 Katana shotgun. Shepard must have made a face about it or something. He had no doubt they could get the job done it just irked him a little.

He already had a M-3 Predator heavy pistol, which Miranda and Jacob also had. Jacob seemed to be a guy that favored mid-close range fighting since he also had a shotgun. Miranda on the other hand seemed to prefer mid-long range fighting since she also had another pistol... wait what?

"Hey, Miranda what's with the second pistol?" She looked at him curiously before looking at the gun in her hand.

"Oh you don't know." Shepard raised an eyebrow. Know what?

"This isn't a pistol. It's a submachine gun." Shepard eyed it curiously. Jacob started to explain it.

"Basically, it's like this. During the Eden Prime war, everyone noticed that not only were the geth keeping up a steady stream of fire on us, but we also lost a good portion of our forces who weren't so well weaponized: Biotics and Techs. At first they tried to train them into using assault rifles as a means of covering this weakness. While it did meet with some success, a majority felt encumbered and slowed down which as you know is dangerous in a fight. So in an effort to overcome this obstacle they brought submachine guns back on to the galactic market stage. They're lightweight but rapidly fire slugs at a rate that can match an assault rifle. While a human invention though, there are currently only three companies that mass produce these guns on the galactic market. Kassa Fabrication, the human company. Elanus Risk Control, a turian company. And Elkoss Combine, the volus company."

"So the same rate of fire as an assault rifle but the weight of a pistol? Ingenious, really." Shepard said looking thoughtfully at the weapons in front of him. "What about these ammo abilities? I know they're similar to the ammo mods a couple of years ago but they must be different due to the thermal clips."

Jacob nodded at his statement. "Yes. Due to the thermal clip system our weapons can now hold multiple ammo versions, though they tend to be pretty weak."

"Weak?"

"Right. The ones in your pistol are actually a bit more developed. Might be why the mechs back on the station went down with one shot."

"How exactly do these operate?" Shepard asked, analyzing his gun.

"I think it's a combination." At Shepard's curious look Jacob continued, "For instance, my incendiary ammo is activated by sending a signal to my guns' mass accelerator to change the mass effect fields used when firing. To use the heat generated by the weapon on the bullet. I'm not completely sure how it works but I believe that the reverse is also used to create the cryo ammo. As for disruptor ammo, you install an electromagnetic module in the gun to generate electric currents when firing. Armor-Piercing ammo also has its own signal as well as shredder ammo but I've preferred to use incendiary ammo since it does the same. It burns away armor and damages organic enemies."

"Then with that logic, disruptor ammo should work on shields and barriers then." Jacob looked at him with a raised eyebrow with Miranda joining in this time. "What?"

"Disruptor ammo?" Shepard nodded as he took his pistol and activated the disruptor ammo. Jacob's eyes widened in realization.

"Oh, you mean shield-piercing ammo! No, it won't work on barriers. But where did the disruptor ammo come from?"

"Seeing as it basically fires electric charges that 'disrupt' a synthetic's systems and shields, I figured that would be a better name." Jacob found himself nodding. It was a far better sounding name and was even more accurate too. Then something clicked in Shepard's head. "What do you mean it won't work on barriers. As a matter of fact why are there barriers now? Are they some variant of shields?" This time Miranda answered.

"Yes and no. Shields are kinetic barriers generated by your hard suit which requires and is maintained by a power source. Barriers are similar but instead of a power source from your hard suit, it uses your own biotic fields. While either can take projectiles with the same amount of endurance, shields can be affected by... disruptor ammo rounds while there hasn't been any type of ammo that is known to damage barriers." Shepard nodded before finishing her sentence with a mysterious smile, "Yet."

"So which ones do you want, Shepard?" Jacob asked gesturing to the weapons laid in front of them. Shepard looked at all of them and smirked.

"Every single one."

* * *

 **A few hours later... on Freedom's Progress**

* * *

At long last, they had arrived at Freedom's Progress. With their shuttle descending towards the colony, the trio talked over what was going to happen over the mission. Shepard was still clad in the N7 armor with the helmet beside him, missing the breathing apparatus. On the floor of the compartment they were in was the grenade launcher since neither could really sit well with it on their backs.

"We should be there shortly, Shepard. The Illusive Man placed us under your command. Do you have any orders?" Miranda asked causing Shepard to look up at her with some relief. The trip itself had been silent with some minor chit-chat along the way with Shepard staring at the floor, thinking. About what? Well, about his team, his crew, how everyone will react to seeing him alive. That sort of stuff, really. So he was kind of happy that Miranda brought him out of it.

"Are you sure you'll be comfortable following my orders?" He asked making sure they would be able to function as a team.

"We didn't bring you back from the dead just to second-guess you, Shepard. If the Illusive Man says you're in charge, you're in charge." Jacob replied with a firm nod. Miranda gave a nod of her own as she kept silent. If he didn't know any better, he'd think they were expecting something different was going to happen on this mission. The Illusive Man himself seemed particularly confident this time and Shepard had feeling it wasn't just because he was awake now.

"What makes you think this investigation will turn up anything new?" He asked. There might be the slightest chance that Illusive Man had sent the two a message as they were leaving the station. Miranda in particular.

"At other colonies, official investigators got there first. Sometimes looters or salvage teams." Shepard resisted the urge to roll his eyes. Those tended to mess up any present evidence at the scene. "We're hoping to be the first ones there this time. Maybe find clues before somebody else disturbs the scene." Funny how it was Jacob answering the questions. Though that may due to the fact Shepard relaxed slightly when talking to Jacob over Miranda. But what Jacob said at the last part. That means that Cerberus had investigated other colonies.

"What did you find out at the other colonies?" He might be able to gleam something they had missed.

"Nothing. No signs of attack, no corpses. Not even a trace of unusual genetic material to give us a clue." Shepard's eyes narrowed. Nothing? Absolutely nothing? "They just disappear, and we've got no target to go after." Shepard was thinking of possible groups that could pull that kind of stuff. Thinking things through it was highly unlikely that they'd find a single colonist there.

"Just keep your eyes open. Look for anything that tells us who did this. Terminals, laptops, hell, written messages. Even strange tracks or trash could help." He said as he felt the shuttle lurch ever so slightly meaning they were coming in for a landing.

"Understood, Shepard. With luck we'll find something that was missed at the other colonies." Miranda replied approvingly.

"Then we can find out who it is and get some payback." Jacob added while punching the palm of his hand. The shuttle shook suddenly.

"We've landed on the colony." Their shuttle pilot stated through the door. Miranda told him to stay here while Shepard and Jacob exited the shuttle. Shepard had his pistol and SMG attached on each hip. His shotgun was attached to the back of his waist while his Sniper and Assault rifles were attached at the back his shoulders. He took out his M-8 Avenger. Remember Jacob's words about the ammo abilities and Miranda's mention of the mechs this colony had, Shepard switched on his disruptor ammo. Jacob had followed along with Shepard with his incendiary ammo on his shotgun. The grenade launcher Shepard had was on Jacob's back for a few reasons. One being it wouldn't fit on Shepard's back with all his weapons. Two, Miranda didn't want it. And three, Jacob did want it. Miranda took out her M-4 Shuriken seeing the two.

Shepard observed the area around them. The colony looked as if it were experiencing a mild winter. Snow wasn't blanketing the ground yet but it was falling. Out in the distance, Shepard could see some lights flickering on and off in some of the prefab units. Whatever was here must've done something to the generators earlier.

"Okay, let's go see what's happened." Shepard said before walking ahead with the two following him. They stepped through the nearest door to the landing pad to find what looked like a cafeteria as it lit up when they stepped into the room. Might have been for the dockworkers or construction crews. There were plates of food on the tables that looked like it was only half eaten. It was cold but not spoiled suggesting that it'd been there for a while, less than a day at the most. The drinks had been spilled with the contents splashing on the floor.

"Looks like everyone just got up and left right in the middle of dinner." Jacob commented from behind him.

"And in quite the rush too." Shepard agreed. He looked at the puddles the drinks had made. It was all different colors, definitely not water. He picked up one of the cups and sniffed.

"Juice mixed with some alcohol." He said after inhaling the sweet fragrance mixed a sterile stench. He took another look at the puddles which had dried at this point becoming sticky. That was when Shepard's eye caught something on the ground. He leaned in closer to find it was a footprint outlined by the juice.

"See something, Shepard?" Miranda asked, noting his serious expression.

"Yeah, footprints. Whatever happened here frightened whoever was eating at this table. In a rush of panic or to get away, they spilled their drinks, stepping into them when they got on the floor. Since it was mixed with juice it would become a sticky residue on the floor, outlining their steps perfectly." As he spoke he followed the footsteps to the other end of the prefab where they suddenly stopped almost right next to each other. Strange.

"Thing is, none of these tracks show who-or what-it was they were running from." Shepard finished with a sigh before looking back at the two. Miranda was looking at the footprints while Jacob was looking at him.

"How can you tell it was just the workers?" Before Shepard could answer, Miranda beat him to it.

"Because none of these are combat boots. These are work boots. They're not as straight as combat boots are." Shepard nodded at Miranda's statement before something clicked in his head.

"That's strange."

"What is?" Miranda asked this time.

"No other footprints. Whatever was chasing them either didn't step into the mess or wasn't walking at all." Miranda and Jacob raised an eyebrow.

"A neurotoxin?" Miranda offered, but Shepard shook his head.

"No. They would've either been dead or hadn't made it from the table if a toxin or bio-agent was let loose. There would also be some evidence saying that they fell to the ground. Whatever it was, they could see it and were afraid of it, and while they managed to make some distance between them and it, it closed it fast. Come on, we need to go further." Shepard said leading them out of the prefab. The snow was starting to cover the ground now as the the three walked along the catwalk before coming to the main area of the dock.

"Strange. No bodies. No structural damage. No signs of battle." Miranda noted as she looked area. Shepard was of the same mind as he looked around the area as well. No obvious signs of struggle. Running from a perceived threat. Too afraid to fight back, perhaps? No, most likely couldn't fight back. Couldn't have been mercenaries, slavers or geth. They would've left some damage. And it definitely wasn't any group he could remember fighting. They were all too trigger happy.

Shepard kept moving till he came to a large door before sensing something. Several electric signatures. He placed an ear by the door causing the two behind him to freeze. On the other side was some kind of mechanical movement. Mechs, probably. Shepard signaled Jacob to come over and listen. The Cerberus Operative obeyed and put an ear to the door. Shepard saw the recognition in his eyes when he looked at him.

"FENRIS mechs. Maybe a few LOKIs too" He said.

"Strange, security systems were disabled at the other colonies." Miranda said coming up to them. Shepard signaled them to get ready while he opened the door. There were two mechs on the balcony of a prefab in front of them. Shepard immediately head shotted the two before he sensed more coming to their location.

"There are more on the right." He said pointing his gun there. He didn't have time to fire as several bullets impacted on his barrier. Shepard ran for cover in the form of some crates with Jacob taking a position beside him while Miranda took cover against a wall. Six more LOKI mechs came after them firing away. Shepard used overload on one while firing at another. Miranda used overload as well while Jacob used pull on one and fired at it.

Two more LOKIs remained as two four-legged robots came running out from behind the LOKIs.

"FENRIS mechs! Don't let them take your shields out!" Miranda said firing at one. Jacob took his shotgun and fired at the other while Shepard used warp on a LOKI and kept firing at the other. The mechs were torn to pieces by the end of it, leaving the three to look at the destroyed mechs.

"Those mechs shouldn't have been hostile. They should have recognized us as human." Jacob said.

"Someone reprogrammed them to attack on sight. We're not alone here." Miranda replied back before Shepard kept moving.

"That means we may have a witness. We need to keep moving." He got two acknowledgements on that as he moved quicker through the prefabs. He kept moving through more and more until he came to another area where they dealt with a single LOKI mech and a FENRIS. What had caught Shepard's attention was the fact they were trying to get in to one of the prefabs which was locked, though it could be bypassed. Shepard could sense several more electronic signatures on the other side of the door but he could also hear voices. Placing his rifle on his back, he accessed the door controls and began bypassing it by linking the nodes together. Soon enough the orange console turned green. Miranda and Jacob stood on either side of him as he stood up and took out his pistol. He hit the door button and with a chirp the door opened with the three pointing their guns ahead. What Shepard saw surprised him.

* * *

 **Evil Cliffhanger!**

 **Okay, so this is going to be the plan. Seeing as there is so much content to be placed in one level of the game, I'm going to be splitting chapters into parts. This is mainly due to my computer since when I have a chapter exceeding a certain word limit which reaches between 8K and 10K (It varies.) I can't save my work on the chapter. So that'll be the plan. I hope you've enjoyed this** **chapter and please don't hesitate to leave a review.**


	4. Freedom's Progress: Part 2

Recap: "That means we may have a witness. We need to keep moving." He got two acknowledgements on that as he moved quicker through the prefabs. He kept moving through more and more until he came to another area where they dealt with a single LOKI mech and a FENRIS. What had caught Shepard's attention was the fact they were trying to get in to one of the prefabs which was locked, though it could be bypassed. Shepard could sense several more electronic signatures on the other side of the door but he could also hear voices. Placing his rifle on his back, he accessed the door controls and began bypassing it by linking the nodes together. Soon enough the orange console turned green. Miranda and Jacob stood on either side of him as he stood up and took out his pistol. He hit the door button and with a chirp the door opened with the three pointing their guns ahead. What Shepard saw surprised him.

* * *

 **Now**

* * *

In the near future, Shepard would look back at this moment with a small fond smile, but right at the moment Shepard couldn't bring himself to do such a thing. As soon as the door opened, he and his squadmates were confronted by three quarians. They had seemed to be looking over something on their omni-tools and in communication with another group before their entry demanded their attention. On instinct, Shepard's group raised their pistols as the quarians mirrored them.

"Stop right there!" The one in the middle ordered. Shepard studied the three in front of him. One male and two females by the look of them. The male wore a green and white envirosuit. One female was garbed in a brown and light yellow envirosuit while the other was in red and grey. The male and red female were using assault rifles while the other female was using a shotgun.

There were several tense seconds before a new voice sounded out. "Prazza!" A new, but very familiar voice to Shepard. A new quarian came out from behind the first three. She was wearing a purple garb with more intricate patterns than the others. "You said you'd let me handle this." Her voice was just as exotic as the last time he talked with her. She shoved the quarian male's assault rifle down as she spoke. That was when she turned to him. He holstered his pistol and was already scrambling to get his helmet off by the time she turned to them.

"Wait..." She said looking at him as the final clasp on his helmet unlatched and he tore it off. He watched as pearly white eyes widened behind the purple visor that he could clearly see through. He felt a genuine smile come across his face at her shocked expression.

"Shepard?" She whispered. His smile widened at her question, but before he could reply back the male quarian, Prazza, snarled at her.

"I'm not taking any chances with Cerberus operatives!" Prazza said with his assault rifle lowered put he was trying to go around and aim at the humans, but Tali wasn't going to have it.

"Put those weapons down!" Tali ordered to the group while Shepard motioned for Miranda and Jacob to do the same. Both Cerberus operatives did so with caution while the quarians did so with obvious reluctance. Tali turned back to him with a hopeful face.

"Shepard? Is that... you're alive?" She asked as if he was simply a ghost. In her eyes he probably was. Shepard nodded with a smile.

"Yeah, Tali, it's me. Uhhh..." He said racking his mind for some proof that it was before remembering something. Something only he and Tali could possibly know because he only gave it to one other group. "The geth data... did it help you with complete your Pilgrimage?" He hoped it sounded kind and not so rushed. She nodded, smiling at him this time.

"Yes, it did." She turned back to the quarians seeing that Prazza hadn't lowered his weapon. "Prazza, weapons down. This definitely my former captain, John Shepard." Prazza looked at him with suspicious eyes while holstering his rifle finally. The other quarians did so as well.

"Why is your old captain working for Cerberus?"

"I don't know. Maybe we should ask." She replied turning to him. Shepard suppressed a flinch at her cold look which he knew meant to explain fast. If he didn't know any better he'd have thought that Tali had improved her glare over the years.

"I nearly died, Tali. Cerberus spent two years rebuilding me. They want me to investigate attacks on human colonies." He said. Short, sweet and to the point. Not entirely truthful, but was pretty much the jist of it. Prazza snorted and crossed his arms.

"A likely story. No organization would commit so many resources to bring back one soldier." He said with doubtful scoff. Shepard saw Tali whirl on Prazza and had to hold down a snort at seeing the quarian male flinch. He knew if he didn't, she'd get at him next.

"You haven't seen Shepard in action, Prazza. Trust me. It was money well spent." Tali said causing Shepard to almost flush. Tali's gaze zeroed in on his orange scars. He hand moved to his face and her fingers traced his scars. He made no move to stop her as he felt the rough covering of her gloved hand against his skin.

"Are those...?" She asked trailing.

"Yes, it was... pretty shocking seeing them for the first time." He finally turned his head away prompting her to lower her hand. "Well, you know why we're here. What about you?"

"We're here looking for a young quarian named Veetor. He was here on Pilgrimage." Shepard was quickly thinking over of what a quarian could be doing here before realizing that he might be the one who reprogrammed the mechs meaning he could be a witness.

"He could be able to tell us what happened here. But why would a quarian be here on human colony?" He asked.

"Quarians can choose where they go on Pilgrimage. Veetor liked the idea of helping a small settlement. He was always... nervous in crowds." Shepard's eyebrows rose at her words.

"Meaning?" He asked. She was about to answer when Prazza interrupted rather rudely.

"She means that he was unstable. Combine that with damage to his CO2 scrubbers and an infection from an open-air exposure, and he's likely delirious." He said bluntly.

"When he saw us landing, he hid in a warehouse on the far side of town. We suspect he also programmed the mechs to attack anything that moved." Tali supplied looking somewhat irked.

"Perhaps we should work together? He could tell us what happened here and then you can take him home." Tali nodded at his offer.

"Good idea. You'll need two teams to get past the drones, anyway." Prazza grunted at her statement.

"Now we're working with Cerberus?" Prazza asked though it sounded more like a demand. Tali's eyes narrowed at him.

"No, Prazza, you're working for me. If you can't follow orders, go wait on the ship." Tali shot back before turning toward him. "Head for the warehouse through the center of the colony. We'll circle around the far side and draw off some of the drones to clear you a path." Shepard nodded before looking to the other tense quarians.

"Your people really don't seem to like Cerberus. Did something happen while I was out of commission?" He asked. Prazza answered him this time.

"They killed our people, infiltrated our flotilla, and tried to blow up one of our ships." Shepard looked at Miranda to explain her organization's actions.

"I wasn't part of that particular cell. It's not the way I would have explained it, exactly. It was nothing personal." Shepard's eyes narrowed at her uncaring attitude towards it. Nothing personal? Them killing their people made it personal! Trying to blow up one of their ships showed themselves as a threat to an entire race! Jacob, seeing Shepard's anger, along with the other quarian's, starting to rise decided to get things back on track.

"We can argue over who killed who later. Right now, we've got a job to do." Tali, realizing what Jacob was doing, chose to mediate.

"Agreed. We work together to get to Veetor." Shepard calmed himself before nodding.

"Fine. Make sure to keep in radio contact." He said synching up with Tali's omni-tool signal.

"Will do. Good luck, Shepard. Whatever happens... it's good to have you back." Shepard smiled to her as he took his helmet and put it back on, locking it in with his armor.

"Good to be back, Tali." He said as they left. Once they exited through one way, the three left the prefab through the other door. They moved through the buildings, keeping an eye out for any movement. Shepard could feel several energy signatures but he honestly couldn't tell if it was the quarians or mechs. The humans suddenly heard a whirring noise that was fast approaching them. Shepard felt three energy signals moving from behind him as he stepped out of a doorway to see three drones soar past them and over a prefab.

"Be careful, Shepard. There's a squad of security drones up ahead." Tali's voice crackled over Shepard's radio.

"Thanks for the warning. We'll take care of them." Jacob replied for him as they kept moving. Getting through the prefab was little more than annoying since one LOKI mech had been hiding behind the counter, but a couple of shots took it out. Shepard moved to exit the prefab before stopping. He could feel more electric signatures moving closer.

"Miranda, how good is your overload right now?" Shepard asked as he turned on his tech armor and had his omni-tool ready.

"Fairly decent. Why? Are there mechs coming towards us?" She asked as she clipped her gun with Jacob doing the same.

"Drones. Six of them." Miranda's omni-tool flashed on. "Warp may work as well, but nearly as effective as overload."

"I know. Jacob, you may not want to use pull on them. I'm unsure how these electric shields work with none aggressive biotics."

"I do. The affect of the biotic ability won't happen to a shielded target, but it will weaken the shields if only a little." Jacob said back making Shepard nod in approval.

"Good. Then that makes this fight so much easier then." Shepard said before stepping out of the door and slipping into cover. Bullets had already been impacting his barrier by the time he slip up against the railing. He switched to his M-4 Shuriken and began firing at the nearest drone with disruptor ammo. He heard Miranda discharge an overload on one drone while Jacob was firing at another that was on one of the buildings. Those three didn't last long.

The next three were taken out with Shepard using overload on one with Miranda attacking another with warp. Jacob took the last one out with one shot from his shotgun. Miranda had said that it was a small military force but this was sad. The trio walked through the next housing area when radio came on.

"Shepard! Prazza and his squad rushed on ahead. I told them to wait, but they wouldn't listen! They want to find Veetor and take him away before you get here!" Tali's voice said through the static.

"Oh great." He muttered dryly. He activated the next door and started jogging.

"We should have expected this." Miranda sighed out picking up her pace.

"Come on! We can still catch them." Jacob said almost sprinting. They ran down the stairs but were attacked by six more drones causing them to duck and cover. Shepard destroyed two drones with an overload and warp respectively with Miranda following his example. Jacob had fired at the other two but they only got a small amount of damage due to the distance between the shotgun rounds. Shepard took out his Shuriken and began firing along with Jacob with Miranda backing them up. The drones feel easily prompting the three to move on to the loading area. Eventually they came upon a large door that led to the loading dock.

"Hurry Shepard! We're inside the loading docks." Tali's voice said over the radio. No doubt she had been tracking their progress. On the other side of the door Shepard could hear gunfire before an explosion went off.

"Tali what the hell was that?" He asked. A small part of him was worried that maybe the other quarians had turned on Tali completely.

"Veetor reprogrammed a heavy mech! It's tearing Prazza's squad apart!" On the other side, Shepard heard a modulated voice scream before being lost in the sounds of gunfire.

"They did want to get to Veetor first." Miranda said morbidly.

"Get your squad into cover and I'll open the loading bay doors." Tali said. Shepard nodded.

"Jacob get on that side of the door while Miranda and I take the other. From what I remember YMIR Mechs have shields as well as moderately thick armor so here's the plan: Miranda, you and I will wear down its shields while Jacob, you use that grenade launcher to destroy its armor when the shields are gone. Now if we're lucky, that might be enough to take it down if not... we'll have keep attacking. Stick to cover and if you see any opportunity to damage it, take it!" He said as the other two nodded at each point he made.

"Tali... open it." He ordered, switching to his M-8 Avenger. The loading bay doors opened to show a grizzly scene. The three entered to see one quarian be nearly ripped apart by a hailstorm of bullets while the other two had just barely managed to jump out of the way in time. The YMIR mech rounded the corner. Shepard could see the red garbed quarian from earlier trying to crawl away before the YMIR approached and stepped on her back. She yelled in pain as the force and weight of the mechanized foot crushed her lower half. The YMIR pointed its machine gun to her head before firing. The blood splatter was... disturbing to Shepard.

Without missing a beat the YMIR pointed its cannon and fired a rocket which exploded between two other quarians killing them as well. The three humans ran behind some nearby crates as the YMIR fired at another quarian who screamed out before falling dead. Shepard had just gotten behind the crate when Prazza was killed on the other when the YMIR turned its machine gun on him.

"That's not moderate armor. That mech's got heavy armor plating. Those quarians never stood a chance." Jacob said as the mech began searching for new targets.

"This is going to be one tough son-of-a-bitch to take down." Miranda spoke from behind crate next to Jacob before ducking down as bullets began ricocheting from their cover. It seemed that the mech had finally noticed them. Okay, go time!

Shepard leaned out of cover and managed to hit the YMIR mech with an overload before having to lean back in, just barely missed by a majority of the bullets though his barrier had taken some damage. Miranda seeing her opportunity used overload as well which drew the mech's attention to her. As it fired on her Shepard could see that its shield were only half drained. He forced adrenaline into his veins making everything slow down before stepping out and firing at he mech with disruptor ammo.

The YMIR turned to him before firing but Shepard didn't duck back into cover or stop firing. He just kept on, even as his tech armor finally gave out and his barrier along with it. Miranda was telling him to get back into cover but it was but a distant sound to him. He didn't even hear Jacob curse as his shields plummeted, but he still just kept firing until his shields had hit 1 percent. He quickly leapt behind a crate and waited for his shields to recharge. He had felt one of the bullets pierce through his armor and into side, but it was numbed by the adrenaline which was starting to wear off. Shepard smirked. He may have been forced back into cover but he took out its shields.

Shepard gestured to Jacob to fire at it when he felt it coming closer to them. Jacob got out of cover and fired away with the grenade launcher, roaring with each shot he took. Small explosions began encompassing the mech until, when he fired that last one, the mech was completely smoke-screened. Jacob looked at the smoke for a few tense seconds before Shepard felt the mech's presence.

"Jacob! Get behind cover!" He ordered. The operative jumped behind cover, but it was no use. A rocket fired out of the smoke and destroyed the crate that both Jacob and Miranda had hidden behind. Both were sent off their feet and landed on their backs, guns knocked from their hands. The YMIR mech had been badly damaged. It shields spent but were slowly beginning to recharge. Its armor rent and melted while it was sparking. But it was still operating and its weapons were trained on both Miranda and Jacob. Jacob quickly got in front of Miranda and managed to make a barrier around himself but a few rounds from the YMIR destroyed it, knocking him to the ground. Shepard, wide eyed and trying to come up with something quickly stuck his hand out and concentrated.

'Come on! Come on!' He thought as the mech fired a rocket at Miranda. The rocket flew past her and struck the wall behind her. The damage had seemed to have affected the mech's cannon to some degree but it was already beginning to compensate for it as it adjusted its aim. Miranda fired off another overload which managed to trim down its nearly replenished shields. The mech aimed its cannon...

Before another overload struck it and its shields weakened to 25 percent. The mech turned to see Shepard there in the open, with his omni-tool on his left hand and ball of biotic light in his right. He could still use his power strike! Shepard biotically charged at YMIR reducing its shields even more before slamming his power strike into YMIR. The ball flashed against the target and it did something that surprised everyone, none more so than Shepard. The ball flashed before suddenly condensing in on itself and suddenly exploded, sending Shepard flying into a couple of crates. The heavy mech was also sent off its feet and onto its back from the force of it. Shepard got up only to clutch his arm as if burned and prickled in pain. The muscles in his arm felt as if they struck by dozens of heated needles that were moving around. That had been a very unstable power strike! He should've known that would happen with how his biotics were! Dammit!

He got off the crates and fell to his knees clutching his right arm. And just in time too as rocket destroyed where had just been. Shepard fell to his side, looking at the damaged heavy mech as it got back up, its machine gun arm having been completely destroyed. Shepard tried to get back up only to stumble as his arm cringed in pain. Dammit! He watched as the mech took a step towards him and aimed its cannon at him. He managed to get up on his legs as he faced down the mech. When it looked to fire something else happened instead.

The mech was lifted up into the air, its body going limp. It rose several more feet before it was suddenly and violently slammed down onto the ground. It bounced a little from the impact but finally stopped moving, its digital eyes going dark. He looked to the side as Miranda came out, her biotic glow fading away. So she was the cause of that. He looked back down to the YMIR mech. Parts of it were bent completely while one side of it looked as it had been almost flattened from the force she used. The YMIR's post-mortem explosive activated and the mech's body was damaged beyond full repair.

"Impressive." He complimented with an appraising nod.

"You weren't so bad yourself." She spotted his arm still clutched in his grasp. "Are you alright?" There was some concern in her voice. Not much, but enough to tell.

"It's fine. I just... overstressed my biotics with that last move." He said looking at his hand trying to open it. As he did, he could see his fingers twitching from the effort. He let his arm hang limply before going over to Jacob who was getting back on his feet.

"Jacob, you okay?" He asked. Jacob nodded in reply. Shepard activated his medi-gel healing any wounds that they may have sustained. He felt much better now that his arm was numbed for the moment and seemed to be recuperating finally. Shepard looked around to see the other bodies of the quarians, broken and bloody. Seven. Prazza's misguided ignorance cost seven people their lives, including his own. Thinking about the quarians made Shepard walk over to a server room that had overlooked the fight. Just when the bay doors had opened he had seen Tali run in there in an effort to take cover. With the amount damaged that was caused he feared she may have been hit by accident. Walking inside he was relieved to see that Tali hadn't been hurt at all. And was even more relieved to see that three other quarians had made it out too. Tali was looking over an injured male quarian while another female quarian was looking over another injured female.

"Tali, are you all alright?" He asked when he stepped foot inside. He kept Jacob and Miranda in his sight though Miranda seemed to have followed him while Jacob was looking at the heavy mech's corpse.

"Yes, we're fine, Shepard. This is your chance to go find Veetor while I check over the wounded. Veetor will most likely be in the back of the loading bay." She said pointing to the building the YMIR mech was laying beside by.

"Well, okay. Holler if you need medi-gel. We can spare a couple of packs." He said before walking back to where Jacob was who seemed to be scanning the mech now.

"Thank you, Shepard." She replied as he left. Miranda silently followed him as he walked up to Jacob. He watched as the man kept scanning the mech.

"Find anything good?" He asked. Jacob nodded.

"I may have found a way to modify our heavy weapon's ammo capacity, but we won't know for sure until we can get a scientist on it." Jacob said, finishing his scans.

"Send it to me. I might be able to figure something out." Shepard said before walking up the stairs to the door and hitting the button. The door slid open to reveal a darkened room with one lone, male quarian typing fast on console connecting to nine monitors which provided the only light in the room. It must have been the main server or hub for the mechs. The quarian didn't seem to even notice them as he kept on typing, mumbling to himself about swarms and not letting them get him.

"Monsters coming back. Mechs will protect. Safe from swarms. Have to hide. No monsters. No swarms. No, no, no,no, no." He jittered as he typed more feverishly. They enter the room as the door closed behind them with Jacob staying next to. Miranda and Shepard approached quietly as to not startle the poor quarian.

"Veetor?" Shepard prompted in an effort to get his attention.

"No Veetor. Not here. Swarms can't find. Monsters coming. Have to hide." He said. Veetor seemed to be almost completely blocking reality. What had he seen?

"No one is going to hurt you anymore." Shepard said trying to reassure him. Veetor just kept typing as if Shepard's words hadn't registered to him. They probably hadn't.

"I don't think he can hear you, Shepard." Jacob from behind him. Shepard looked at Veetor whose fingers kept typing away. He'd have to get his attention then. Veetor seemed focused on the monitors more than anything else in the room. Maybe he'd be able to get his attention by doing something about them. He could shoot one of the monitors, but that's most likely send the quarian into a frenzy. So it was the more diplomatic route then. Activating his omni-tool, Shepard had gotten remote access to the monitors.

"Have to hide. Have to hide. Mechs will protect. Swarms coming. Storm coming. Storm of swarms." Veetor rambled on as Shepard waved his omni-tool, the monitors shutting down three at a time. Veetor immediately stilled seeing his monitors go off. He looked on in confusion before hearing the familiar whistle and chirp of an omni-tool. Seeing them, he stood form his chair in disbelief.

"You're human. Where did you hide? How come they didn't find you?" Miranda looked at him in confusion.

"Who didn't find us?" She asked.

"The... the monsters. The swarms. They took everyone." Veetor said sadly. Swarms? What the hell could he have seen that would constitute as a swarm here?

"We're not survivors, Veetor. We just got here." Shepard explained. Veetor bowed his head at his admission.

"You don't know. You didn't see. But I see everything." Veetor turned to the console and input a few commands as the monitors reactivated showing footage of the colony.

"Looks like security footage. He must've pieced it together manually." Miranda said as she studied the screens in front of her. There were what looked like fast insects moving around the camera. Shepard could just barely make out their form which was unlike any insect he'd seen before. That was when some bipedal creatures resembling insects themselves walked into the picture, pushing some kind of pods.

"What the hell is that?" Jacob asked seeing it. Shepard looked at it closely. Something about its form seemed familiar, but from what he couldn't recall so well.

"My god. I think it's a Collector." Miranda said with surprise in her voice. Shepard's eyes widened as he remembered the form now. He felt a chill run down his spine when he thought about the Collectors. A species from beyond the Omega 4 relay. Few people see them in person. Even fewer people live to tell about it.

"I thought the Collectors kept to themselves." He muttered. Miranda nodded, not having noticed his earlier reaction.

"They work through intermediaries, like slavers and hired mercenaries. If they're involved with the Reapers somehow, it could explain what happened to the colonies." The video continued on as it showed two Collectors grabbing a human and throwing him into a pod.

"The Collectors have advanced technology. They could have a weapon that disables an entire settlement at once." Jacob added as the video kept going. That was when Shepard noticed one Collector in particular who made him feel almost shudder in the top right monitor.

"The seeker swarms. No one can hide. The seekers find you. Freeze you. Then the monsters take you away." Veetor said knocking him out of his thoughts. The video stopped playing showing more pods and Collectors heading away from the area to leave. Time to find out what Veetor knows.

"Could you please tell me more about these swarms?"

"It's how they find you. Seeker clouds. Machines like tiny insects." Shepard's gaze flitted to insects on the screen before looking back at Veetor. "They go everywhere. They find you. Then the sting you. Freeze you."

"Sounds like miniature probes, maybe. Find victims, then immobilize them with a stasis field or nerve toxin." Miranda hypothesized. Shepard thought over what he knew about the Collectors. Mysterious but advanced. That was about it, well save for what he had seen before and what he'd heard from time to time on Omega.

"What do you know about the Collectors?" He questioned hoping they may have more insight into them. Jacob merely shook his head negatively.

"Nobody knows much. Sightings are so rare, a lot of people don't even believe they exist." So nothing he doesn't already know himself. In fact he may no more than them.

"More importantly, why are they abducting human colonists? What are they after?" Miranda asked the first questions that had come into Shepard's mind earlier.

"Maybe the Illusive Man can figure it out." Jacob offered. Shepard suddenly remembered the Illusive Man's confidence in this mission. If he didn't know better he'd think the Illusive Man already suspected the Collectors in the first place. Shepard looked at Veetor again. How had he gotten away when everyone else was frozen?

"Why didn't the Collectors take you?" He asked.

"Swarms didn't find me. Monsters didn't know I was here."

"The Collectors aren't known for being careless. Maybe his enviro-suit kept him from showing up on their sensors." Jacob supplied. While a good theory, it was unlikely unless Veetor managed to keep himself frozen in fear. Looking at the quarian, Shepard could tell that wasn't the case since he was trembling and twitching. Miranda noticing this, shook her head.

"Or they were using technology specifically designed to detect humans. Only human colonies have been hit." Shepard found himself agreeing with that one. Realizing there was more he pressed on.

"What happened next?" Veetor looked at the monitors, particularly where the Collectors were taking the pods away. His voice almost in hysterics, he answered.

"The monsters took the people onto the ship, and then they left. The ship flew away. But they'll be back for me. No one escapes!" Shepard found himself pitying the quarian. He could tell that he was just hoping for a nice quiet Pilgrimage with few people. Maybe bring home a nice ship or some resources for the Flotilla and be home. Instead he got a front row seat to a colonial abduction by an unknown race.

"I think that's probably all we're getting out of him, Sir." It seemed that Jacob shared his feelings by the way he was looking at Veetor. Shepard overlooked the word Sir this time as he turned to Veetor.

"Thank you, Veetor. We appreciate what you told us. You were very helpful." Shepard said in an effort to comfort and calm Veetor. It seemed to have had an effect on Veetor as his trembling slowed and his voice calmed down a little.

"I studied them. The swarms. I recorded with my omni-tool. Lots of readings. Electro-magnetic. Dark energy." Veetor said showing his omni-tool to them. Shepard had just began to raise his arm for a data transfer when Miranda cut in.

"We need to get this data tot he Illusive Man. Grab the quarian and the call the shuttle to come pick us up." Shepard looked at her with a do-you-hear-yourself-now-? look and before he could say anything he was interrupted... again. The door to the room opened revealing Tali who had obviously heard that last part with how angry she looked.

"What? Veetor is injured! He needs treatment, not an interrogation!" She said, irate. Jacob tried to placate her.

"We won't hurt him. We just need to see if he knows anything else. He'll be returned unharmed." Physically, maybe. Mentally and emotionally? Probably not.

"Your people tried to betray us once already. If we give him to you, we'll never get the intel we need." Miranda added in neutrally.

"Prazza was an idiot," Tali snapped, rolling her eyes, "and he and his men paid for it." Tali looked at Shepard with pleading eyes now, "You're welcome to take Veetor's omni-tool data, but please. Just let me take him."

Hmmm, maybe there was another way? He'd certainly feel safer if he had Tali by his side on this mission. "Maybe you don't have to take Veetor and go. We could work together. Just like old times." He said, feeling strange with the last part.

"I want to but I can't. I've got a mission of my own. It's too important for me to abandon, even for you." Tali said with a reluctant sigh, "When it's over, and I'm still alive, we'll see what happens."

"Well that sounds dangerous. What are you doing?" Shepard asked in mild concern. If it was really that dangerous, he might have to tag along just in case.

"I don't think Cerberus needs to hear about it." She gave a pointed glance to the operatives. At Shepard's look, she did let him no at least one thing, "But it's in geth space. That should tell you how important it is." It did. Tali had always been a forerunner in helping her people. Taking a mission into geth space of all places would definitely be her style. If you needed more proof just look at what happened with him and Saren!

If he looked at Miranda, before looking at Veetor. The quarian was looking at him innocently though there was still some fear in him. Shepard could already see what would happen in an interrogation with him. Cerberus would probably drug him and he'd be most likely starved. They wouldn't treat him right just because he wasn't human. By the time he'd be sent back to the Flotilla, he'd be traumatized.

"Veetor's traumatized and needs medical care. Tali will give us the omni-tool data and take him to the Flotilla." When Miranda looked to argue about it, Shepard cut in, "That's final. We'll most likely not get anything more out of him anyway that he hasn't already shared with us."

"Understood, Shepard." Miranda said in a neutral voice.

"Thank you, Shepard. I'm glad to see you're still the one giving the orders." Tali said with relief in her voice. She walked up to him and hugged him which Shepard returned whole-heartily, "Good luck out there. If I find anything that can help you, I'll let you know."

"You too, Tali. Be safe." He replied as he released the hug. Tali took Veetor's hand and led him away from them. As soon as they were out the door, Shepard turned to Jacob.

"Call the shuttle." He ordered. Jacob nodded, putting a hand to his earpiece. Shepard looked at Miranda. "Miranda, could you look through the files on this terminal. Maybe there's something on their that Veetor's omni-tool data doesn't have."

Miranda nodded as Jacob spoke into his comm, "We're ready for pickup." Jacob walked outside to signal for when the shuttle arrived while Miranda and Shepard stayed in the room looking at the monitor. Miranda took the chair as she began searching through the video files until she came back to the one Veetor had loaded up. Shepard watched as the video played again until he saw that one Collector.

"Miranda, pause it." He ordered, his voice going cold. Miranda paused the video looking at Shepard, puzzled by the shift in his behavior. Shepard placed his hands on the desk and leaned towards the screen, gazing at one Collector in particular. Miranda followed Shepard's eyes and saw the Collector he was looking at. Its carapace wasn't brown like the rest, but glowing red-orange and the Collector was wreathed in flame looking as if it were on fire.

"So that thing is leading this." Shepard muttered quietly but Miranda caught it all the same.

"You've seen the Collectors before?" She asked. Shepard didn't answer immediately, still staring at the screen for a few seconds more before her question registered to him.

"Once. Years ago." He said vaguely. Miranda looked at him curiously. Shepard seemed almost... nervous.

"What happened?" She asked almost softly. Shepard remembered well enough.

* * *

 _Flashback_

* * *

 ** _It had just been a few_ _months since I had become the Ghost of the Terminus, so I was nothing more than a whisper at that point. I must have been 16, maybe 17 when this happened. I had followed up on lead that some big slave trade was going down on Omega at one of the docks. Once I arrived, I had found the trade manifest._**

 _A younger Ghost of the Terminus crept through the dark corners of the docks, keeping an eye out for any guards but found none. He was garbed in medium onyx armor and a black cloak with its hood pulled over his masked face. He found what he was looking for in one of the rooms. Several guards were asleep at a table with cards showing that none of them were really winning. On another table was a datapad. The Ghost took it and looked through it carefully. It was an... odd slave list to say the least._

 _Two dozen left-handed salarians, sixteen sets of batarian twins, a krogan born of parents from feuding clans, and two dozen "pure" quarians who have never left the Migrant Fleet due to illness, importance to the fleet, or disability. It mostly disability and illness for the quarians._

 _'What the hell? Why are they so specific?' Ghost thought to himself. He quickly ducked out of sight when someone entered the room. These were eclipse_ _mercs and from what he heard about their leader, it would be best if didn't get caught. The leader was some asari who was just as good at tech as she was good at biotics. And she was crazy as she was sadistic. Worst off it was their leader who walked in too!_

 _"Wake up! Our employers are coming for the cargo now! They'll be arriving in the next twenty minutes! Get your lazy asses up!" She shouted causing the men to get out of their chairs in a fumble before running to get things ready with the Leader after them. Ghost stepped out of the shadows and followed them making sure to keep out of sight. Eventually, they led him to where they were keeping their 'cargo.' Ghost waited until all of them were further away from the crate before making a distraction in the form of several machines further away going off. The eclipse mercs left to investigate the sudden disturbance while Ghost emptied the large cargo container of its 'cargo.' Everyone managed to slip away silently enough while Ghost relocked the container and made a break for the shadows, but not before leaving a listening device on one of the walls. He had gotten to a vantage point when the eclipse returned. Hearing about them complaining about a waste of time, he decided to contact Isaac._

 _"Isaac, you there?"_

 _"I'm always here, Shepard."_ _A male voice responded back. Shepard's eye twitched in irritation._

 _"Isaac, I've told you this before. When I'm wearing this outfit refer to me as Ghost." He said exasperatedly._

 _"Sorry, I will try to do_ _so." Ghost merely shook his head._

 _"It's fine. Just make sure the car is ready for a speedy get away. We don't need anyone coming after us for this."_

 _"Acknowledged. Do you know who was behind this trade?" Ghost nodded though no one saw it._

 _"Yeah, Eclipse were the ones who took them this time. But I'm waiting to see who ordered so I can put a bullet through their skull." He replied while getting out his Avenger Sniper Rifle. It wasn't the best but it was what he had at the moment. He scoped out the area, waiting for the buyer to show themselves._

 _"So violent. Why are you always violent?"_ _Ghost just rolled his eyes._

 _"I'm not always violent! For instance no one's dead yet and it's just going to be one this time! Now please be quiet! I think the buyer just showed up!" Ghost aimed and watched. The buyer had indeed showed up, but it wasn't anything like Ghost had seen before. It looked like some type of bipedal insect person followed by more. They had flat, mushrooms-like heads with four yellow, beady eyes. Their hands had only three fingers and their legs were like that of turians and quarians. What's more they wore no clothes and the only armor Ghost could see would be that of their carapaces. But that couldn't stop of bullet, surely? One of them stepped forward, looking as if it were on fire with its eyes glowing bright._

 _"You have the payment?" The Leader asked. The creature nodded._

 _"AFFIRMATIVE. AS LONG AS YOU PROVIDE US WITH WHAT WE ASKED." Ghost was surprised by the voice in which it spoke. Deep, menacing and baritone, but incredibly cold. He couldn't tell if the Leader was just as put off as he was even though she continued._

 _"Of course. We've got the cargo you wanted." She turned to her lackeys and signaled them to open the container before turning back to the creatures,  "You know, I can't help but wonder why you Collectors were so specific about these ones." The creature didn't answer as it watched her lackeys open the container to reveal... an empty container. The Leader looked at it in shock as the creature-no Collector-turned to her._

 _"WE ARE NOT HERE FOR JOKES. WHERE ARE THE SUBJECTS?" It demanded. She looked at the Collector in anger._

 _"We had them! But it seems someone walked off with them!" She shot back._

 _"YOU BELIVE WE DID THIS." It was a statement, not a question.  "WE DID NOT. IF WE DID WE WOULD NOT BE HERE. FIND US OUR SUBJECTS OR YOU WILL NOT RECEIVE YOUR PAYMENT." The Collector began to walk away as the Leader called after them._

 _"Wait!" The Collector kept walking as the others turned away.  "I said..." Ghost could she was charging a warp, "WAIT!" The warp attacked the Collector but it remained unaffected as the biotic attack crashed into a powerful Collector turned to her slowly before it raised its hand to her. _

_"PERISH." The Leader's body lit up with yellow energy that destroyed her shields and armor. She screamed until the attack killed her, destroying her beyond recognition. Ghost thought that was the end of it, but he was wrong. The attack moved onto the nearest Eclipse merc next to her and attacked him as if it were alive. The other mercs fired at the Collector, but their rounds merely bounced against its biotic barriers which weren't even weakened in the slightest. The Collector made more attacks similar to the first one. The attacks merely killed each one moving onto the next until there were none left. The Collector made to leave until it stopped. Ghost watched as the other Collectors walked away while the red one moved over to a wall... the wall that he left his listening device on!_

 _'Oh shit!' Ghost thought as he saw the Collector make to grab it. If they managed to track it back to him, he'd never be able to fight it off! He made a split second decision, aimed and fired. The round didn't hit the Collector. Ghost knew it wouldn't make it through its barrier. The round hit the device, destroying it completely. The Collector retracted it hands before looking in his direction. No... it was looking at him! The Collector fired an orb of energy right at him. Ghost rolled out of the way just barely missing it. He quickly put his sniper away and ran for it. He vaulted and jumped over pipes, making his way to where the car was._

 _"Isaac, get to my location asap! I'm in trouble!" Isaac sent back an acknowledgement as Ghost looked over his shoulder to see if the Collector was following him. To his immense relief, it wasn't. He looked forward only to see some type of black curved blade aiming for his neck._

 _Adrenaline flooding his veins he ducked and slid a way before tuning to face his attacker. It was the Collector! It turned to him and studied him for a moment before speaking._

 _"WERE YOU THE ONE WHO TOOK OUR SUBJECTS?" Ghost held back a shudder before taking his omni-blades out. He didn't dare answer as he got himself into a ready stance with his tech armor activating. The Collector seeing this raise its hand. "YOU WILL KNOW DESPAIR." It fired another ball of biotic energy at him but Ghost dodged again on an adrenaline high. He fired several omni-arrows but they did nothing to the creature. Ghost tried to make some distance between himself and the Collector. He moved over pipes and vaulted over air ducts in an effort to get away, but the Collector biotically charged him. Tech armor destroyed, and knocked over from the force of it, Ghost was sent over the edge of the building. His head and shoulders were at the edge as he managed to grab one of the cables and held on. He couldn't even see the bottom as he looked over the vast distance that was Omega. All he could see were cars flying in the empty space. A three-clawed hand grabbed him by the throat and lifted him into the air. He grabbed the arm, choking for breath, staring into four malevolent, glowing yellow eyes._

 _"YOU WILL PAY FOR YOUR DEFIANCE. PERHAPS WE SHOULD TAKE YOU WITH US AS RECOMPENSE FOR YOUR THEFT." Ghost couldn't answer as he tried get the hand to let go of him. He slashed with an omni-blade but the Collector blocked it with a black organic blade which came out of its arm. Ghost's eyes widened as he stared at the clashing blades. Neither were yielding but his arm went limp in his continued struggle to breathe. The Collector's grip tightened._

 _"GOODBYE, HUMAN." Just then, a light flashed from behind Ghost. The Collector turned its attention to it before dropping him. Ghost held onto the edge of the building for dear life as machine gun fire roared out. He looked back, coughing and wheezing to see a jet black sky-car firing at the Collector. Isaac had made it! The sky-car fired off a few rockets, blasting Collector away. The line of fire broke providing Ghost the opportunity to get back on the roof. Once he did so, he looked to see the Collector getting back up, undamaged! Seeing the need to leave, Ghost quickly jumped into the car and speed off. Leaving a smoke screen to cover its escape._

 _The Collector watched as the car disappeared into the Omega Skyline before turning around and leaving. A few escaped subjects were not too deterring. They'd have more soon. There was always more._

* * *

 _Flashback over_

* * *

Miranda looked at Shepard wide-eyed at the end of his tale. He had told her an abridged version of course. Not really mentioning Isaac was an AI, but he was piloting the car and had saved him.

"That was before I could use my biotics, but I was certainly no slouch in my tech and combat. That Collector," He said pointing to the screen, "nearly killed me. Made me look like a complete amateur. I'm different now, but with our powers the way they are, we won't last long against THAT!" He emphasized his point by tapping the monitor. Miranda was about to say something, but Jacob entered the room.

"Shuttle's here." He said before reading the room. Shepard was quiet while Miranda was looking at him in shock. "What?"

* * *

 **Okay, there we go. What do you think? Good? Bad? Stupid?**

 **Favorite, Follow, and Review! I eagerly await!**

 **A/N: So here's how the chapters are going to be. If I feel that they'll go beyond a certain point where there is enough for two decently long ones, I'm going to make the mission take more chapters. I may make a few small ones showing the day to day stuff you know... news, comments, stuff like that.**


	5. A favor for a friend

Hey for those of you who enjoy stories with OCs and/or multi-class characters or just like Dragon Age there is a new story that has just popped up by fellow writer and reader Omegas Prime. Please rate and support him as you all have supported me.


	6. Return Home

**Jeez! Four chapters in and I already have half the amount favorites from the previous story. Where were you guys when I was writing ME: GotT? Oh well, I figured you guys would come rolling in when I got to ME2. So without further adieu, let's get this chapter rolling.**

* * *

Recap: "Shuttle's here." He said before reading the room. Shepard was quiet while Miranda was looking at him in shock. "What?"

* * *

 **Now**

* * *

Shepard had spent much of the return trip quietly thinking. Miranda had relayed Shepard's first encounter with the Collectors to Jacob who looked at him in mild shock. Miranda then questioned him about the Collector he had fought with. All Shepard told her was that it was the only one that spoke and was capable of killing multiple armed enemies alone without any assistance. The Collectors were both mysterious and advanced. They had technology that was obviously leagues above anything they had now. Now they would have to find some way to stop the Collectors. They would need armor, weapons, resources, a ship and a crew, and quite possibly an army. The first five, Shepard figured he could get easily with Cerberus. That last one? Not a chance.

One thought pervaded Shepard's mind at that conclusion: They were so screwed!

Okay maybe not to that extent, yet. There might be a chance of winning this thing with a team. A really, really good team, but he'd have to find them and assemble them. And while he'd be doing that, the Collectors would be running around abducting other colonies. Then there would be the things they'd need to face the Collectors. What weapons were on the market? What armor could best be used? Are there any upgrades, legal or illegal, that they may be able to acquire? These thoughts and more flitted through his mind before turning to his powers.

His tech abilities could easily be rectified with some fine tuning. His combat abilities would come back with proper exercise and training. But his biotics on the other hand... Shepard's gaze went to his hand as he clenched it into a fist. His biotics will need to be nearly retrained. Shepard had already surmised that the pain he'd been feeling when he used certain biotic abilities was due to the fact that his nodules had atrophied. While some abilities were near instinctive to him, others required concentration. The ones needing his concentration were going to give him the most trouble. His power strike was a fine example of that.

Shepard would continue to think on what he could do until he felt the shuttle stop. The trio walked out and moved through the hallways in silence. Shepard gave no mind to either of the other two as they kept in front of him giving him slight glances as they walked. They eventually came to the waiting room. Without a word, Shepard walked to the room adjacent to it. It was time to get serious.

He walked down the stairs and stood on the circular pad in the middle of the room. The device scanned his person as he saw the Illusive Man's room come into view once more showing the man himself sitting in his chair, lighting a cigarette before taking a drag from it. The Illusive Man's steel blue gaze fell on him immediately.

"Shepard, good work on Freedom's Progress. The Quarians forwarded their findings on from Veetor's debriefing. No new data, but a surprising olive branch, given our history." Shepard's eyes narrowed having been reminded of what occurred between Cerberus and the Migrant Fleet.

"You mean the history where your organization basically attacked the quarians?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow. The Illusive Man gave no sign of being affected by this mild accusation. After a few seconds of silence he spoke.

"You and I may have different methods, but I can't argue with your results." The statement made Shepard cross his arms in annoyance. He realized that the main reason why the data was forwarded in the first place was because he was the one asking and Tali was probably the one forwarding it in.

"You ever think of playing nice once in a while?" He asked though he already knew the answer to his question.

"Diplomacy is great when it works," The Illusive Man said while nodding, "but difficult when everyone already perceives you as a threat." Shepard wanted to say something like 'and who do you think let that happen?' but held it in knowing it would be useless. "But more importantly, you confirmed the Collectors are behind the abductions."

Shepard narrowed his eyes again, arms still crossed. "Why do I get the feeling you knew about them already?"

"I had my suspicions, but I needed proof. The Collectors are enigmatic at best. They periodically travel to the Terminus Systems, looking to gather seemingly unimportant items or specimens. Usually in exchange for their technology. When their transactions are complete they disappear as quickly as they arrived; back beyond the unmapped Omega 4 relay. Until now we've had no direct aggression by the Collectors." The Illusive Man explained before taking a smoke out of his cigarette. Shepard thought over what the Illusive Man said about the Collectors and thought over what he himself knew of them. His gaze met the Illusive Man's and sighed.

"What do the Collector's get out of these deals?" Were they any different from the one he stopped several years ago?

Tapping his cigarette on his ash tray, the Illusive Man explained, "The Collectors aren't very forthcoming about their motives. Generally, they seek out species with rare genetic mutations or abnormalities. They pay slavers and merc groups exorbitant sums to obtain these specimens. And then they leave." So it was like what happened back then. But if that is true, what made this so different besides the scale? As if sensing his thoughts, the Illusive Man continued.

"But they've never targeted a single species before. And the previous sample sizes were in the dozens, not tens of thousands." Now that was curious.

"Any ideas why they've shifted their focus to humans?"

"If they're agents for the Reapers, it could be any number of reasons. Obviously, humanity played a huge role in Sovereign's destruction. That might have been enough to draw their attention." It was a good theory, one that Shepard found himself nodding to, much to his chagrin. "What really concerns me is why they bother abducting the colonists. Once paralyzed, why not just kill them?" Shepard had thought about that too and while he had a theory, he was really hoping he was wrong.

"I don't suppose you know why the Omega 4 relay is unmapped then? What do you know about it? Because my knowledge on it is merely what everyone else on Omega says."

"Only that no ship passing through it has ever returned. Our best guess is that the relay reacts differently to Collector vessels, allowing them safe passage." Shepard almost mumbled 'that would explain it' but kept his expression neutral this time as the Illusive Man finished, "If they can manipulate relays, that's just further evidence of the connection with the Reapers."

So, the Illusive Man knew only a little more than him. All that he said made sense so far. But the figure in front of him seemed to be letting onto something more. And just how exactly did he make the connection between the Reapers and the Collectors? Mass abductions, while serious, gave no solid proof.

"You're holding something back. How do you know the Reapers are involved?"

"The patterns are there, buried in the data. The Council and the Alliance want to believe the Reaper threat died with Sovereign. You and I know better. I won't wait until the Reapers are on the march. We need to take the fight to them."

Shepard stared at the Illusive Man for a moment, considering his options. The two certainly agreed that the Collectors needed to be stopped, but Shepard was considering notifying the Alliance and the Council. He figured that they might not do anything but he would have to try. Right now though it seemed that the only one willing and able to assist was Cerberus. Even with their resources however, it would take time, people and money. All of which left a significant gap between himself and the Collectors. But still, he had little choice at the moment.

"I hate waiting, but if this is a war, I'll need an army. Or a really good team." He said thinking of the odds he was up against. He hated the thought of going up against that flaming Collector again, but he couldn't just let them continue on.

"I've already compiled a list of soldiers, scientists, and mercenaries. You'll get dossiers on the best of them." An orange console appeared right next the Illusive Man. Shepard could vaguely see it was a list of things, probably the dossiers the Illusive Man mentioned. "Finding them and convincing them to work with you could be challenging, but you're a natural leader. I'll continue to track the Collectors. When they make their next appearance, I'll notify you and your team. Be ready." Shepard knew that the Illusive Man didn't just do this while he was on Freedom's Progress. He's been planning this for some time. If that was so...

"Do you know what happened to my old team?"

"That was two years ago, Shepard. Most of them have moved on... or their allegiances have changed." That last part caught Shepard's attention.

"I know that you've looked them up. In the end, I'll see if they can't join up or not." The Illusive Man looked at him before another list popped up beside him, evidently containing the names of his friends.

"Lieutenant Alenko and Chief Williams are still with the Alliance. Promoted, I believe. Their files are surprisingly well-classified." Shepard found himself nodding, knowing that they would've done well in his absence. He had to fight the smile trying to appear on his face when he heard that Ashley had been promoted. That smile died quickly when he thought of how he would meet her, especially in the company of Cerberus. 'She's going to be suspicious at best and pissed at worst.' He thought with a hint of dread crawling up his spine.

"Dr. T'soni is on Illium. My sources say that she's working for the Shadow Broker. If so, she can't be trusted." That made Shepard's eyes widen briefly. Liara, his Liara, a spy for the Shadow Broker? That is completely different from where he expected her to be which was Ilos, researching Prothean ruins. If things hadn't been so dire, he was sure she would've stayed there on the planet instead of going to the Citadel. Something smelled off about this. He would have to speak with her when he could. Shepard could almost feel something was wrong.

"The krogan returned to Tuchanka and hasn't gone off-world in over a year. He's trying to unite the krogan clans." Shepard actually smirked at that. So Wrex was true to his word. He and the krogan had talked about the possibility of the krogan uniting together and Shepard had found out that Wrex had tried to that in the effort to save his species. Sadly, Wrex's own father, Jarrod did not agree with his views and turned on him making Wrex believe that the Krogan could not be saved. He was glad that he had managed to turn Wrex around and that Wrex was keeping true to it.

"The turian disappeared a few months after you were declared dead. Even we haven't been able to locate him." Shepard wondered what Garrus was up to. He knew his friend wasn't one to give up the fight just because a friend had died. Did he become a Spectre? Or did something else happen?

"And what about Tali? She already helped us on Freedom's Progress." Shepard asked. He definitely wanted Tali on this mission. She's probably one of the best engineers in the galaxy.

"That was unexpected. I need more intel before I'll commit to that." Well, that certainly wasn't evasive. Not!

"Oh? Why? There are few who know technology better than her and fewer that would be willing to work alongside me." Shepard couldn't make this argument with emotion. He needed to use logic or the Illusive Man would be able to refute her as a possible weak link or a distraction.

"From what Miranda has told me, the quarian is unavailable at the moment. I'm curious as to what she's doing and if it poses a danger to the mission. But I cannot argue against her skills. If she is available and willing then by all means." The Illusive Man said seeing Shepard's logic. Shepard sighed, feeling a little put out that, but he understood that they've moved on to their own lives. Lives that he had actually talked about with them. He was dead and they moved on. The galaxy moved on. He quickly shoved down any depressing feelings that were bubbling up and spoke again.

"Okay, I get it. They're not available." The Illusive Man deactivated the console after he finished reading it.

"You're a leader, Shepard. You'll get who you need." He didn't know if that was some reassurance or anything but it helped him focus. There were other means of getting who, and what, he needed.

"I'm still a Spectre. Maybe I can get the Council to help us out." Shepard said more to himself than the Illusive Man who replied back with a hint of sarcasm.

"If you can convince them, then by all means. Just remember-you've been a long time. Things have changed." Shepard nodded, seeing there was nothing more to talk about.

"Right, you worry about the Collectors, I'll make sure my team's ready." The Illusive Man nodded, taking another drag out of his cigarette.

"Good." He said before exhaling some smoke, "Two things before you go: First head to Omega and find Mordin Solus. He's a brilliant salarian scientist. Our intelligence suggests that he may know how to counteract the Collector's paralyzing seeker swarms." Shepard nodded in agreement. He might be able to find out more by going back to his old stomping grounds. Not only that but there was a slight chances he might find Isaac there. He was going to need him for this mission.

"Sound good. And what else?" Shepard saw the Illusive Man actually give a hint of a smile.

"I've found a pilot I think you might like. I hear he's one of the best. Someone you can trust." As he said that a blue console appeared before he pressed a button on it and the connection was cut. With the link gone, the Illusive Man's room turned back to the small room Shepard had been standing in. He heard light footsteps from behind him. He turned and his eyes widened to find someone he did not expect to see.

"Hey, John. Just like old times, huh?" The man in front of him was shorter than he was, dressed in black and white fatigues with the yellow Cerberus symbol on his shoulders. He had really short brown hair and green eyes which were covered by the black and white cap which read **SR-2** on his head. His mouth took the form a smart-ass grin too.

"Joker?!" Shepard asked in surprise. Right in front of him was Flight-Lieutenant Jeff 'Joker' Moreau. Shepard returned his grin with a smile. "Finally, another familiar face! It's good to see you."

"Right back at you! You look good." The two started walking up the stairs, passed by Miranda and Jacob who Shepard didn't even notice and continued into another hallway. Shepard noticed that Joker didn't have his crutches and seemed to be walking normally, though he did favor his left side. Joker noticed his look.

"Yeah. Two years go by and you'd be surprised what new medical technology they come up with. Now I can walk without assistance."

"Most of the time." Shepard quipped with a grin.

"That was one time and incase you forgot, I wasn't the only one who was having trouble getting on my feet especially when you were going for the sink!" Joker shot back with a smile.

"It was either that or share the toilet with you and I'm pretty sure that neither of us wanted that." Joker nodded along knowing it would've been bad. The aftermath of that party was for the lack of a better word: filthy. Cups, vomit, napkins that weren't used to wipe the face on the floor. It was bad!

"So what's the secret? Cybernetics? Drugs? Therapy of some sort?" Shepard listed off as they kept walking.

"A little bit of everything, actually. Gene therapy helps strengthen my bones naturally while the drugs help my atrophied muscles activate and the cybernetics monitor the correct dosage and the state of my bones. Make sure there are no cracks forming. If there are, it immediately tells me. And last but not least, I do some physical therapy to help get me into shape. Just walking and a little running."

"What no dancing?"

"You can't talk." The two merely chuckled, walking through an automatic door.

"I still can't believe it's you Joker." Shepard said with a relieved laugh. Joker snorted in return.

"Look who's talking, I saw you get spaced." They rounded another corner.

"Got lucky, with a lot of strings attached. How'd you get here?" Joker's demeanor seemed to lose some of its joviality as he walked up some stairs.

"It all fell apart without you, Shepard. Everything you stirred up, the Council just wanted it gone."

"I'm honestly not surprised." Shepard replied with a somewhat bitter tone. Joker replied in an even more bitter tone.

"Team was broken up, records sealed, and I was grounded." Shepard could sympathized with Joker on that. Grounding him from flying was probably the worst thing one could do to Joker legally. The duo passed several consoles and another corner to what looked like a deck of sorts.

"The Alliance took the one thing that mattered to me. Hell yeah I joined Cerberus." Shepard thought of all the crap he had found in those Cerberus bases he raided with his team and he knew Joker knew what had happened in most of them.

"You really trust the Illusive Man?" They were now standing in front of several windows looking out into a large pitch black room.

"I don't trust anyone who makes more than I do. But they aren't all bad. They saved your life. Let me fly... and then there's this." Joker crossed his arms while Shepard put his hand on hips looking out into the room. "They only told me last night."

Shepard watched the lights in the room come on one by one. The lights first revealed a familiar nose of a ship with the words SR-2 painted on clearly. As each set of lights came on revealing the curve of the nose to the main body to the wings and her thrusters. Finally, all the lights turned on revealing his ship. It looked like the Normandy, minus the two long adjustable navigation wings and it was nearly twice the size of its predecessor.

"It's good to be home, huh, Shepard?" Joker said.

"She's gorgeous." Shepard breathed out. Joker nodded and Shepard could see out of the corner of his eye that Joker had wiped away a lone tear. He'd be lying if said he didn't feel a little emotional right now, but Joker would probably never let him live it down. Shepard wouldn't tease Joker about it, knowing how much the Normandy meant to him. Speaking of which, Shepard noticed that the only thing on her were Cerberus colors and SR-2. He smiled. 'As if any other name would do.'

"I guess we need to give her a name." Joker merely nodded. They sent in the name and went there separate ways: Joker to the Normandy and Shepard to where Miranda and Jacob were since they had asked for him. Once there, he noticed that they were surrounded by a couple dozen people who were moving crates toward the ship.

"Shepard." Miranda called over. Shepard briefly noticed several pairs of eyes zoom in on him as he walked by them, but ignored them.

"Is there something you needed, Miranda?" He asked once he was near her.

"Just needed to inform you that since you are in charge, it is only proper that you are given a rank or title by which the crew may defer to you as." Shepard crossed his arms looking confused.

"Is that really necessary?" Miranda nodded while Jacob cut in after biotically moving some crates toward a float that was pushed by another person.

"It will help things run smoother if the crew has something to add to your name. Makes them feel a little safer." Shepard thought it over before nodding reluctantly.

"Is there a list prepared or is it off the top of my head?" He asked with which Miranda pulled out a datapad and handed it to him. On it was a list of possible ranks and titles he could pick out. Miranda and Jacob had helped make sure everything had made it onto the ship as Shepard looked it over. After about a minute of looking at it he highlighted his preferred one and handed it back. Miranda took one look at it and grimaced.

"How the hell did that get in there?" She asked looking at it before giving him a stern look. Shepard was wearing a big grin like he cut one in public and the guy next to him got the blame.

"What? It's perfectly acceptable."

"It is not, pick another one." Jacob was looking at Miranda in bewilderment wondering what named Shepard had picked that would've caused her to be so stern with him. From what he knew there were only military ranks on the list.

"What is so bad about it?"

"'Deathmachine' Shepard is not appropriate." Jacob had to pinch his thigh to keep himself from laughing. Shepard must have switched up one of the names when Miranda and him had their backs turned to him. Shepard merely chuckled in the face of Miranda's stern look which was gradually turning into a glare.

"Shepard pick another one or I will." Shepard humphed before taking back the list, this time Miranda kept an eye on him. This time he handed it back far quicker than earlier. He wasn't grinning anymore which was a good sign. Miranda looked at the name and lost her stern look.

"Well that's much more acceptable. It will be... interesting, working with you... Commander Shepard." With that she walked away to check and see what hadn't been brought onto the ship. Once she was what out of earshot Jacob turned to Shepard.

"So, Commander huh?" Shepard merely shrugged.

"It was the only one I liked." Shepard looked at Jacob.

"So what exactly does my new ship look like on the inside?" Jacob shrugged.

"I'm afraid I haven't been to any of the other levels outside the hangar. You should talk to Miranda, she's going to be your XO." Shepard raised an eyebrow at that before shrugging. "As for me, I'm going to be your Armory Chief."

"Armory Chief? Not Gunnery Chief?"

"Gunnery Chief would focus on weapons. On this ship we have an Armory where you store both weapons and armor. I will be taking care of that."

"I assume you are well informed of modern and advanced weapons as well as armor then?" Jacob nodded with a furrowed brow. What was Shepard asking? "You keep an eye on the galactic markets for any new weapons, armor or upgrades from time to time then?"

"Yes. Is there something you need me to look into?" Shepard nodded looking very serious which prompted Jacob to straighten up.

"I need you to look into the galactic markets when you can. Find anything that's on the stores: Armor models, new weapons, upgrades for either. Whatever you bring I'll try to see if I can't improve or add onto it." Jacob crossed his arms and whistled.

"That's going to cost a lot, Shepard."

"If no one has gotten to my credit accounts, then we should be fine and if they did, I'm sure the Illusive Man would cover it. It is for the mission anyway." Jacob found himself nodding along with that.

"Okay then, whichever station or planet we dock at I'll have a look. No doubt there'll be something." Shepard nodded as Miranda suddenly came back.

"We need to pack your armor and weapons. Not only that but you need to pick out your attire to wear when you're on the ship." Shepard had little choice it seemed as she was suddenly dragging him off to a different room. Some kind of dressing room actually. The room itself was sterile and had mirrors as well as a curtained off area. There were also several casual outfits to choose from. Shepard began to take off his boots and moved to his gloves before Miranda cleared her throat. Shepard looked at her for a moment before shrugging it off and going back to taking off his armor, getting rid of the shoulders and only had the chestplate to go. That was when Miranda cleared her throat again this time with a slight blush on her cheeks. Shepard found himself feeling slightly proud that he got her to do that.

"You may want to pick out your outfit first." She suggested quietly. Shepard merely walked over to the outfits and inspected them. One seemed to be the fatigues everyone was wearing. Shepard felt the fabric that made it and found it to be rough. He moved to the next that seemed to be a scientist outfit. If they had like a lab or something onboard the then maybe, but no. He moved to the next one and it basically screamed his style for when he wanted to go civilian. Tight shirt with a vest, several pouches on the belt of the cargo pants, and black boots. Now Shepard would've taken this one in heart beat but unfortunately he noticed the look on Miranda's face. Her eyes were narrowed to the point he thought the outfit might actually catch fire. Now normally, Shepard wouldn't have cared, but he preferred to at least get on the ship before he had an argument with someone. So he came to last one. It was similar to the outfits some of the other higher ranking people in Cerberus seemed to where. He felt the material and it was surprisingly smooth and soft.

"What's this one made out of?" He asked. Miranda seemed oddly pleased at his interest in it.

"It's made of cotton mostly with some silk threaded into it."

"Very nice." Shepard appraised with a nod. He took it off the hanger and went behind the curtain. He quickly stripped himself of his remaining armor, pushed it under the curtain for it to be taken, and redressed himself in the formal Cerberus Officer's dress. He looked himself over in the mirror and nodded. He had no real opinion on it, but he did look good. He walked out in front of Miranda, briefly noticing his armor was gone, and did a quick spin for her.

"What do you think?" Miranda looked him over appraisingly and nodded her head positively.

"A fine choice. Your weapons have already been taken to the ship as well as your armor. Your wardrobe as well. All we need to do is get on it and towards our next destination." She said as she led him out. They eventually came to the airlock to find Jacob waiting for them.

"Looking sharp, Commander. Now we can finally get to it." He said as they walked into the airlock. The decontamination process was somewhat faster than what Shepard remembered when the doors to the Normandy opened. The three entered the bridge. Shepard glanced to his left to see Joker in his new chair facing away from the control station. If he hadn't known any better he swore he could see the pilot almost bouncing in it.

Shepard gave him a nod in acknowledgement before turning to the CIC. Several crewmen were at their stations along the bridge and the CIC. Shepard smiled at seeing the new CIC of the new Normandy as he looked around.

"Welcome to the new Normandy, Commander." Shepard walked forward to the holographic display of the Normandy and looked over the Normandy. It could switch between the outside and inside the Normandy. Showing the outside, one would see weapons, armor, shields, fuel and even sensors. On the inside view, one could the ships decks from a small one above the CIC to the lowest one which was the hangar. All systems were working at optimal capacity.

"Is everyone onboard?" Shepard asked without looking behind him as flipped through the various views. He could actually zero-in on a deck of the ship and see the different rooms.

"Everyone has been accounted for. They are at their stations awaiting orders."

"Excellent." He said as he studied the top floor called the Captain's Cabin. Must be his. He scrolled down to Deck 2 which was split into five sections all with their own labels too. Deck 3 was labeled as Crew's Quarters and was divided into ten different rooms. Deck 4 which was Engineering was divided up into four different areas apparently including the hangar. Miranda's voice drew his attention from his study of the ship.

"I've been looking over the dossiers. I'd strongly recommend starting by acquiring Mordin Solus, the salarian professor on Omega." Shepard turned to her, giving her his undivided attention as she continued, "We know the Collectors use some type of advanced technology to immobilize their victims. We'll need him to develop that counter measure to protect us."

Shepard nodded, "Without that countermeasure, we'll be helpless if we ever run into the Collectors."

"Acquiring Professor Solus seems like the most logical place to start." A synthetic feminine voice sounded out. It must be the Normandy's VI.

"Who are you?" Shepard asked directing his attention to the intercom. He wasn't surprised when a holographic blue orb on a stand of some sort appeared on the command station. On the orb were 10 light blue horizontal lines that ran vertically down the orb like an eye. As it spoke, the lines moved in tandem with the voice showing it was a mouth instead.

"I am the Normandy's artificial intelligence. The crew like to refer to me as EDI." That made his eyes widen slightly before they went back to normal, this time filled with mirth. Well, this is a pleasant surprise! Shepard wanted to talk to this one a little more but he couldn't make himself look like he knew about AI personally. He had to keep up appearances after all. But that didn't mean he had to act like an ass to EDI.

"Helmsmen don't like it when someone takes control of the ship away from them. Especially Joker." Shepard said with a bemused expression. He remembered hearing about some poor fool who tried to take control of the ship away from Joker one time. The guy had to go to the medbay to get treated for a pretty nasty bite mark on his hand from what he heard.

"I do not helm the ship. Mr. Moreau's talents will not go to waste."

"Then what do you do?" If she was an AI, then she must have some specific role for the mission that required heightened intelligence otherwise she'd only be a VI.

"During combat, I operate the electronic warfare and cyberwarfare suites. Beyond that, I cannot interface with ship's systems. I observe and offer analysis and advice. Nothing more." With that EDI's avatar winked out. Shepard turned to face Miranda and Jacob again, knowing that he would have to talk to EDI later on. He noticed that Jacob seemed to be relieved that Shepard hadn't made a big deal about EDI. Miranda on the other hand was looking at him quizzically. From what she knew, Shepard had spent a great amount of time fighting AIs and while he was not an unreasonable man he didn't act cooly to EDI at all. In fact, if she didn't know any better she'd say he greeted the AI almost warmly.

"I'm guessing it takes more than the three of us plus Joker to fly this ship." Shepard stated, having noticed several people on their current deck working at a few of the stations. He wanted to meet more of the crew.

"The Normandy has a full crew. Like I said earlier, they are awaiting your orders." Miranda replied. Joker's voice came in from the intercom.

"Final preparations for takeoff are complete, Commander. When you're ready to go, just pick a destination from the galaxy map in the CIC and I'll plot a course." There was a hint of urging excitement in Joker's voice that made Shepard smile.

"Alright fine. God forbid I go up and actually talk to my pilot. Even if he can be a smart ass from time to time." Shepard mumbled the last part.

"I heard that!" Shepard merely chuckled.

"Jacob and I should return to our posts. Come find us if you have any questions. I'll be in my office on Deck 3." Miranda said before heading towards the elevator. Jacob merely gave him a crisp salute before walking further down the CIC to the Armory. Seeing there was no point in simply standing around, Shepard moved towards the galaxy map. He walked around several stations and people until he came to the base of the galaxy map. He was suddenly stopped by someone else. She was red-haired, had green eyes, and seemed pleasant enough.

The young woman smiled at him and gave a salute. "Welcome aboard, Commander. I'm Yeoman Kelly Chambers. I've been assigned as your administrative assistant."

Shepard had to restrain a sigh that tried to escape his mouth. He didn't need an assistant as this was merely a temporary thing. This was obviously a ploy for the Illusive Man to have another spy to observe him indirectly. However, spies could work both ways and Kelly did seem to be a genuinely nice person, if not gullible. Keeping a neutral expression, Shepard waited for her to finish.

"I'll monitor your messages and help you monitor the crew. It is an honor to work under you, Gh- I mean, Commander Shepard." Shepard perked up at his old alias, but schooled himself again. There was no need for his old name on the ship currently.

"Good to have you on the team, Ms. Chambers." He said with a polite smile.

"Please, call me Kelly." Shepard shrugged.

"Okay, Kelly." Kelly's cheeks reddened a little and she avoided eye contact for a split second. Shepard pretended not to notice.

"Is there anything I may help you with?" Kelly asked when she made eye contact again.

"What exactly are your responsibilities if you don't mind me asking?" This was the perfect opportunity to find out what she was up to in all this.

"I'll keep you notified of any messages or appointments you might have. If any of the crew has business to discuss with you, I'll make sure you know." Shepard rose an eyebrow. That couldn't be it, could it?

"Isn't that task better suited for a VI? Or an AI in our case?" He asked gesturing to one of EDI's stands near the elevator.

"Yes, but being your yeoman is just my official role. Unofficially, I observe the crew." Shepard's other eyebrow raised to meet its counterpart. Now he was getting somewhere.

"Observe the crew, eh? Whatever for?"

"Everyone knows how risky our mission is. Many of us may not be coming back. That's a lot of pressure. I have a degree in psychology. I'm good at sensing when people are overly taxed." Shepard thought over her words. So her job really was to watch the crew for any sign of mental problems that may be detrimental to the group as a whole.

"So you make sure the crew's mental health is sound?" He asked hoping for some more clarification. Kelly smiled and nodded enthusiastically.

"Yes. I look for warning signs. I listen. It's not a full-time job and it's most effective when done informally." Shepard could understand that. Hell, Shepard hadn't even thought of that at first. He had his mind on resources, powers, equipment and upgrades, but the mental states of the crew was something that hadn't occurred to him. He was glad that Kelly would be there acting as his proverbial eyes and ears, but he'd have to remember to be careful around her. He didn't want to be psychoanalyzed himself.

"Well, I'm glad you're onboard. We're lucky to have someone with your skills, Kelly. Now, I got to plot our first course. Is there anything you want to run by me or..." He trailed off as he looked over around them. Kelly's eyes widened before she too looked around seeing the glares being thrown her way. Shepard could actually feel one mean one coming from the cockpit's direction.

"I'm sorry!" She squeaked before hastily moving to her terminal looking at the screen and nowhere else. Shepard merely smiled as he walked up to the galaxy map. Everyone was so eager to start. He looked down at the map and saw that the Normandy was stationed in the HorseHead Nebula. Best get started. He inputted the coordinates for the Omega Nebula which housed the Omega Space Station, his old home and the location of Mordin Solus.

"Destination set. Course plotted and we are on our way." Joker said over the intercom.

* * *

The doors to the space station's docking bay opened slowly, allowing access to endless vastness of space. The Normandy's engines hummed as they activated, the thrusters starting to glow blue before ignition. The doors had fully opened and the Normandy propelled through the exit. Clearing the dock and the station she gave a wide berth before turning and jumping to FTL.

* * *

Seeing as they had a couple of days before getting to Omega, Shepard walked up to the cockpit hearing Joker say the ETA to the nearest relay would be a couple of hours alone not to mention getting to Omega from there. Shepard stopped and studied the cockpit. It was somewhat different from the SSV Normandy's but still close enough. He noticed that EDI's avatar was present here and seemed to be wanting to stay present.

"How are things here, Joker?" The helmsman's chair did a total 180 degree turn revealing Joker with an excited grin.

"Can you believe this, Commander? It's my baby, better than new! It fits me like a glove!" Joker gushed as he started rubbing the arm rests of his chair. "And leather seats! Military may set the hardware standard, but on a first-gen frigate they couldn't care less if the seats breathe. Civilian sector comfort by design."

"The reproduction is not intended to be perfect Mr. Moreau. Seamless improvements were made." Joker's happy expression morphed into one that hinted he tasted something foul. Joker shot EDI's avatar a glare as he spoke, "And there's the downside. I liked the Normandy when she was beautiful and quiet. Now she's got this thing I don't want to talk about. It's like ship cancer."

"It's not the same, Joker. There's nothing here that was even part of the real Normandy." Shepard said remembering all the faces that had been on the first Normandy. How many those faces died in its destruction? Joker caught on to Shepard's downed mood easily enough.

"There's us. I have to take what I can get. The last two years sucked." Shepard gazed at him curiously as he went on, "You'll see. Even if there is an AI spying on us, no way they'll invest this much just to screw us over. It'll be better than the old days."

Shepard cracked a smile, "I hope so. I died last time."

"Gah you're such a downer." Joker said as his chair turned back around. Shepard turned and walked back across the bridge this time getting into the elevator, and pressing the button for Deck 1. As soon as the elevator's door closed, Shepard froze in horror.

'Oh shit, please tell me they upgraded the elevator on this one. If they didn't I'll lose my sanity!' Thankfully the elevator moved much faster than its predecessor which Shepard loved. Another reason this Normandy was better. As soon as the elevator stopped, Shepard exited it and was greeted by the sight of door labeled Deck 1 Captain's Cabin. So this was his new room then? Shepard opened the door seeing his new quarters for the first time.

It was big. Very roomy. Easily close to thirty yards from the door to the far wall. In comparison to Shepard old room on the Normandy, it was much better. There was a double bed that was already made up and had a night stand on each side. The one on Shepard's left had a lamp while the one on the right had a holographic alarm clock. Shepard moved to the side of the bed to see a holographic display that was over several footlockers varying in size. On the display were two buttons: Casual and Armor.

Shepard pressed the Casual button and the small middle right two footlockers popped out. The top one held the outfits he'd seen earlier when he dressed himself earlier while the bottom one held the shoes and boots for them. He pushed them back in until he heard them click into place. The armor button was next and the other 6 lockers popped out this time. There was one for each section of his armor in the order from Top to the bottom two: Head, Arms, Shoulders, Torso and Legs. The sixth one that had popped out at the top-right however held a full set of black, white, and yellow armor that had the Cerberus symbol on it. It briefly reminded Shepard of the armor Miranda and Jacob were wearing but more battle-ready. Shepard couldn't help whistle appreciatively. EDI's avatar popped up from one of the black stands Shepard had seen around the ship so far.

"This is the Commanding Officer's quarters."

"It's larger than the other quarters of other ships I've been on." Shepard said absently as he placed everything back. He had been several ships before the Normandy SR-1 including a cruise liner, some freighters, a couple of cruisers and even a dreadnought one time. This room beat all the others in just space alone not to mention the aesthetics present. Shepard's gaze turned to the large blue aquarium imbedded in the wall as EDI continued.

"This is a Cerberus vessel, not an Alliance warship, or any other ship. Accommodations have been made for personal taste. That said, this space is directly under the exterior pressure hull. The fitting yard workers called it 'the loft'." Shepard nodded as his eyes moved to the ceiling above the bed. Instead of more metal, it was a glass window showing the beautiful view of space highlighted by waves of mass effect fields flitting over it. The area near his bed held a chair up against wall right beside a desk with two drawers. There was a lavish couch L-shaped couch in the corner with a coffee table in front of it.

"This is very nice." Shepard said as he moved to inspect the last part of the room. He had completely passed it earlier and studied it carefully. It had a large desk with a personal terminal on it. Above it was a display area containing the model of the Normandy SR-2 with more room for several other models. Underneath the desk was a filing cabinet beside a leather desk chair. The desk itself had several files on it that seemed to be the crew roster and personnel files of each individual. The information was mostly generic with some minor background information: Date of Birth, Skills, Education, etc. On the other side of the desk were several books that Shepard was sure he wouldn't read and a picture that showed him with his team smiling and posing for the picture.

"How the hell did this get here?" Shepard asked as he picked it up.

"Mr. Moreau had come up earlier and placed the picture there. He mentioned something about making the quarters a little more homey." EDI's synthesized voice sounded out. Shepard smiled at the picture as he studied every detail of it. It was just after the award ceremony on the Citadel. There he was dressed in a formal black and white suit with an arm wrapped around Ashley and Liara each. Ashley was wearing her Alliance Dress Blues while Liara was wearing a blue and white elegant dress that her mother had order for the ceremony. On Ashley's side was Tali dressed in a light blue version of her envirosuit, not mark of oil or dirt on it. Wrex was beside Tali wearing a black and white suit that barely fit him. All throughout the ceremony, Wrex had been uncomfortable due to how ridiculous he thought he looked. Taking this picture was probably the only time Wrex looked proud of himself while wearing that suit. On Liara's side was Kaidan who was showing his pearly white teeth with an over-the-top smile. His way of making a joke for them. Next to Kaidan was Garrus clad in a black and white formal suit too with his chest puffed out looking proud of himself. In the background Shepard could see Joker getting into the frame with several other crewmen joining him, including Chakwas, Adams... Pressly. Shepard wondered if Chakwas got out okay. Despite their strange dynamic during the mission, and his aversion to doctors, he did care about her. He shook himself out of those thoughts and looked back at the picture.

Shepard thought of what happened on that day. He got to talk with Liara's mother, Matriarch Benezia for a little. She gave him a coy wink meaning she knew what had happened between him, Liara and Ashley. He was introduced to Ashley's family who seemed to have been real excited at meeting him. The most lively of the bunch had certainly been Sarah who had practically glomped him while the most quiet had been Abby who had stayed a respectable distance. Ashley had to make sure Sarah kept her distance after puling her off of him. He had a nice talk with Mrs. Williams for a few minutes when Garrus had dragged him away to meet his family. While meeting Mr. Vakarian had been a frosty reception, the two were able to remain civil and were even able to have a respectful conversation. Mrs. Vakarian and Garrus' sister, Solana, had been far warmer. Shepard had got a kick out of it when Solana started teasing Garrus mercilessly in front of everyone. Kaidan even introduced him to his family too, but it was merely polite conversation with them.

Shepard brought himself back into the present by placing the picture back down gently. He turned back to EDI's avatar with a smile.

"Please, tell Joker that I appreciate it." Shepard said.

"Doing so now." EDI replied with her avatar winking out of existence. Shepard looked around for a moment.

'Hmmm, guess they didn't install a bathroom here. Oh well, I'll just use the ones on Deck 3.' He thought as he moved to the door. The wall beside him suddenly shifted revealing a pristine bathroom. Shepard had been slightly startled by the door's sudden movement. 'Oh, so they did install one.'

He stepped into it, nodding his head appreciatively. The bathroom itself was about 9x12 with a sink, a toilet and a shower. In the wall next to the sink were three shelves filled with towels, cans of shaving cream, razors, various bottles of shampoo and toilet paper. Underneath the shelves was a little space that said laundry.

"Mr. Moreau says you're welcome and you owe him a hamburger. He specifically doesn't want it vat grown, but a real honest-to-god dead cow. With Horseradish." EDI's voice sounded out making Shepard nearly jump. He nodded somewhat shakily. For a split second he thought Joker had been in the room when EDI played the recording of his voice.

"Right, I'll try to remember that." Shepard looked back down at the small space before asking, "EDI what's this spot here for?"

"That is for transporting your used clothing to be washed. It leads straight to wear the washing machine located down on Deck 4."

"Oh okay." Shepard exited the bathroom and saw that EDI's avatar returned. "EDI?"

"Yes, Shepard?"

"Could you give me a tour of the ship? I'd like to use this time to see it and possibly get to know you better." He said walking to the elevator and pressing for Deck 2. And so the tour happened. EDI gave him a brief rundown of each room. He had been a bit sad when he heard that Joker wasn't really getting along with EDI but he reassured the AI that Joker would eventually come around and to just be patient to which the AI merely responded that time didn't matter to her. Shepard nearly slapped his forehead. He had forgotten that an AI as young as EDI would have some difficulty with organic norms. Isaac had been the same way. Though with luck, he'll have Isaac back to help with EDI.

The tour of Deck 2 rounded towards the science lab which was difficult to enter with EDI saying that they'd need a scientist to use it. Shepard merely said that he was only going to look around for the sake of the tour. EDI after a few more moments of persuasion acquiesced and unlocked the lab. Shepard had looked around the lab several tables and scanners including a full body scanner you would find in a medbay. Some type of containment box too. Shepard had found out that if any research on any upgrades were found they could be developed in the Tech Lab by using the resources that were found in the galaxy. Shepard had to ask which resources were usable since the last time he was around there around numbered to nineteen last he checked. He found out that he only need four: Platinum, Palladium, Iridium and Element Zero. The first were heavy metals that he found a majority of the time, but element zero was a very rare mineral maybe even the rarest.

EDI had also told him what each metal was used for. He knew they were going to need platinum the most since it was used in a huge quantity even though EDI said it was shotguns, snipers and medical equipment and that stuff is very complex to begin with. Next would be Iridium since it was used in assault rifles, submachine guns and heavy weapons due to wear and tear they make with high velocity and high powered rounds. After that would be palladium, which is surprising since it is used in various things like pistols, armor, shields. His cybernetics were on the list but they'd been covered in the Lazarus project. Element Zero would be the least troublesome since it was only used for things like bio-amps and omni-tools. Thankfully, it seemed that the Illusive Man had topped them off with 60,000 units of each resource.

An excellent start, but it still might not cover all the demands for it. So they would have to find some way cut the resource cost to save as much as they could. Shepard was confident he'd be able to save around 25% at the most with his engineering skills.

He exited the lab with EDI locking the door the second it closed. Shepard had enter into the debriefing hall and was amazed with the Quantum Entanglement Communicator. He was a little let down with the fact that it was strictly point-to-point. But it was perfect! No one else could listen to the conversation unless they were in either of the rooms that housed the communicator. EDI then directed him to the Armory where she had surprised him with the fact that he could implement and manufacture his upgrades in the room using the equipment stored in it, not to mention creating new models of weapons instead of having to go to the store. Shepard noticed Jacob was in the room and asked EDI if they could pause the tour for a few moment to which she agreed.

"Commander. There hasn't been time to really settle in and take stock." Jacob said giving off a salute. Shepard was going to have to get him to stop that. He wasn't military and he wasn't comfortable being saluted. "I want to say that working with you is a great opportunity to do something that matters. It's a privilege to work on the Normandy, Commander."

"You may change your tune if we end up like the original Normandy." Was Shepard's good natured reply. Hopefully, Jacob won't use the whole military thing with him if he was friendly and mellow enough. Jacob merely shrugged in response.

"If the Illusive Man walks his talk, and you do the same, I'll do my best to make sure we succeed." Shepard nodded in agreement. "That's been the condition for my service so far. I have... issues with certain actions Cerberus has taken in the past." Shepard wondered if he had been involved with any of those actions.

"What has Cerberus done to make you nervous?" Best to ask him a more open question if anything just to find out what Cerberus had done.

"A lot." Jacob's jaw seemed to clenched before he continued speaking, "They've been called terrorists, and with good reason. Doubt you can find a more checkered past." Shepard rolled his eyes as if to say, _'That's an understatement.'_

Jacob crossed his arms having seen Shepard's reaction, "But if the Collector threat is real, and we do something about it, Cerberus will be remembered differently." Shepard raised an eyebrow, knowing that while what Jacob said was true, it wasn't likely going to be that straight-forward. "Or we'll be tried and executed. Can't count on people thinking about it as hard as I have." Shepard smirked. So Jacob was more than just a common soldier. Good.

"I look forward to working with you, Mr. Taylor." Shepard said sticking out his hand. Jacob smiled and shook it with his own.

"Likewise, Commander. Let me know if you need anything." Jacob replied. When he let go of his hand, Jacob gave him another salute. Shepard nodded and left to continue on with the tour. He walked into the elevator and moved to Deck 3. There wasn't much that EDI could say that he didn't know about himself. The bathrooms, crew's quarters and life support, she had nothing to say above this is what it is and what its function is. He did learn that they had a total of 24 generic crewmen though by the amount of beds that were there. He also found that they had 11 tanks in Life Support. 5 contained oxygen while another 5 would recycle the CO2 people breathed and the final one would filter it back into the first five. Shepard didn't fully understand it either.

Then he stumbled into the observation deck on the port side of the ship. It was mostly an empty room save for the couches, chairs... and a bar! Shepard commented on the window saying while it was nice and pretty, it was a structural weakness. EDI refuted that the Illusive Man was ahead of him on that and closed a shutter over the window saying that it will happen during combat. Shepard mixed himself a drink by combining a blue and red liquor. The purple mixed drink actually fizzed a little. He drank in one go and within seconds he was already buzzed. The room swayed and that was when he unintentionally found out that EDI was watching the bathrooms too when he accidentally brushed against the women's bathroom interface. He sobered up pretty fast after that.

The starboard observation deck was even more sparse than the port side one. All it had were benches, some small tables, a couple of chairs and three bookcases. He quickly moved on to hear some kind of conversation going on in the mess.

"Chef's surprise again? Come on, Rupert." Someone complained. From what Shepard could see there was an older, bald-headed man working by the kitchen.

"I'm sorry, princess. Filet mignon and caviar coming right up. Let me just get out my doilies." He mocked in a rough voice.

"That'd be real nice, Mr. Gardner." The same person replied sarcastically. Shepard looked around the Mess till his eyes hit the med bay before widening at seeing who was inside it.

'No, that's impossible!' He thought as he strode over to it and the door opened.

The person inside was looking over several medical files before swiveling around in her chair to face him. She was a middle-aged woman with grey hair, green eyes, and wearing a green and white lab suit. On the suit were two yellow patches that said SR-2, one for each arm. She was looking at him with a disbelieving, but relieved smile.

"John Shepard. I watched as the Normandy crumbled with you on board." She stood up and embraced him gently which he returned wholeheartedly, "It's good to see you alive."

"Right back you, Dr. Chakwas. You're a sight for sore eyes." Chakwas stood back and looked him over. Shepard looked at her more closely. She seems to have been getting little sleep if the shadows under her eyes were any indication.

"I'm shocked. To see you here I mean. I thought you were with the Alliance." Chakwas merely nodded.

"Surprising, even to me. Yet here I am." She said sitting back in her seat. Shepard took the one next to her. "The kind of trauma you endured would've changed most people, but not you I see. Welcome back, Shepard."

Shepard gave a small chuckle before looking down. Something had been bothering him recently. He could feel it slightly. That he had changed. "To be perfectly honest, I think I have changed if only a little."

Chakwas looked at him curiously, "How so?"

"I feel much more irritable than before, not to mention much more serious. I can still make jokes and smile but it feels... less than what it was before the attack. Does that makes sense?" Shepard explained making Chakwas frown in contemplation.

"The trauma may have given you a more pessimistic attitude towards things. I'll have to look into this at a later time. Now though, I need to give you a physical." Shepard made a face that showed he was about to whine before she merely pointed to one of the beds to right that had scanners on them. He groaned as he walked over and laid down on it. The scanner moved over him from head to toe with Chakwas looking over the details.

"Doc, you've been with the Alliance for years if I remember correctly. Why leave now?" Shepard asked hoping that conversation would make things move faster.

"After the Normandy was lost, the surviving crew was reassigned. I was stationed at the Mars Naval Medical Center. A very respectable position, but it wasn't on a starship."

"Colonial military life isn't for you?" Shepard asked as the scanner passed over his eyes.

"I've spent most of my life on warships, never knowing what the next mission might bring." Chakwas eyes took on a slightly glazed look as she went on, "I'm used to the hum of engines, the creaking of bulkheads, that subtle vertigo when the momentum dampeners kick. Life planet-side is just too boring." Shepard snorted.

"Yeah, I know what that's like. After Torfan I actually tried to settle back on Mindoir, the colony I was raised on, but I couldn't do it. I walked down the old paths I used to take as a kid, the creeks I used play around with everyone else, even found the spot where my house used to be. I felt nostalgic, but everything felt too different to what I was used to. It was all too still, so I headed back to Omega and kept being the Ghost." The scanner was beginning to slow down finally.

"Speaking of which, I hear you've taken on another title. Hmmm, Commander?" Shepard groaned at the use while Chakwas grinned.

"I got talked into it, okay?" Chakwas merely chuckled at him.

"I think it suits you perfectly. Commander Shepard. Has a nice ring to it, don't you think?" She said as the scanner finally stopped past his feet.

"Yeah, I wanted it to be deathmachine, but Miranda was about give me trouble for it and I wasn't in the mood." Chakwas merely sent him a sardonic look, before shaking her head.

"You can be such a child. Maybe you haven't changed that much." Shepard got off the bed.

"I see you haven't changed much these past two years. Though you don't strike me as the Cerberus type, Doctor." Chakwas' expression turned very sincere by his comment.

"I don't work for Cerberus; I work for you-on a mission that may be crucial to the survival of the human race. I have faith that your dealings with Cerberus will be ethical. I trust you... Commander." Shepard smiled, happy that she had so much faith in him. That smile was wiped from his face when he thought of the Collectors and how strong they were going to be.

"There's a very good chance this mission will be a one-way trip. Are you prepared for that?" He asked seriously. He wanted to minimize any possible regrets this mission might bring up with everyone.

"I've been through the Reclaiming of Shanxi, the Skyllian Blitz... We survived the Battle of the Citadel and the destruction of the Normandy together. I've lived a full life-no regrets. I'd like to make sure the crew has that same opportunity." She declared making Shepard almost grin.

"Well, in that case, do you have everything you need? Are you missing any equipment or need any repair pieces?" Shepard asked looking around the room. It was just like the first Normandy medbay but with more beds and tech.

"I believe so, this medical bay seems very much like the sick bay on the original Normandy. Only things missing are my private reserves. I even had a bottle of Serrice Ice Brandy that I was saving for a special occasion." Shepard almost licked his lips. Serrice Ice Brandy was a very good drink. Sweet with a hint of fruitiness and it went down real smooth. Instead of the usual burn this particular drink would give a slight calling sensation.

"I'll keep an eye out for a replacement bottle." Shepard said.

"Oh you needn't. It's expensive and we have much larger concerns ahead." Shepard sighed. Leave it to Chakwas to try and deter him from doing something nice for her. He looked at the datapad still in her hand.

"So what did you find out?" He said gesturing to the datapad. Chakwas looked at it concentrating on what was on it. Shepard patiently waited for her to tel him what was on it. After a few minutes she began telling him what he already knew. About the cybernetics, how grafted they were in his bones, muscles, and skin. How they affected his performance in combat and everyday life. She mentioned his L5x biotic implants. From what she could explain to him, L5 implants branched off into two categories: X and N; X going to Adepts and N going to Vanguards and Sentinels. The Xs were made for constant biotic control while the Ns were made for short, but powerful bursts of biotic energy. It only made sense that he got the L5x due to his wide range of biotic powers. Then she got to his DNA.

"That's strange."

"What is it?" He asked with some apprehension.

"The structure around your DNA has changed again." Shepard's eyes widened.

"What do you mean?"

"Earlier, before the attack, it seems to be glowing light blue, but now... Nothing." Shepard's apprehension increased.

"What?"

"It's not glowing. It's there but it's not glowing anymore, like it has been rendered dormant or something." That word 'dormant' hit Shepard. Did that mean he couldn't go into Overdrive? What if he went up against an enemy that was too strong for him to defeat normally? One that was too strong for him and his team together? Like Sovereign.

"I don't suppose you know how to reactivate it then?" Chakwas merely shook her head no.

"I'm afraid not, Shepard. This is beyond me." Shepard had a feeling that Miranda may know more so he thanked Chakwas and left to find his Executive Officer.

* * *

EDI had pointed him to Miranda's office which was on the other side of the Mess Hall and the only door he'd seen that wasn't marked. He entered in quickly with Miranda looking up in mild surprise at his entrance. She was currently sitting at her desk looking over her computer. Shepard started talking as soon as the door closed.

"Did you alter anything on a genetic level when you brought me back?" Miranda looked at him in confusion.

"No. I, nor anyone else involved on the project, tampered with your genetic material. We did analyze it though." Shepard looked at her sternly to see if she was lying. Her eyes, while keeping a neutral look, told him it was the honest truth making him sigh.

"What did you see when you analyzed it?" He asked while sitting down in the chair across form her.

"Some kind of structure. It was something we've never seen before. To be honest it looked as if something had placed it there to protect your DNA. We didn't know what it was, but we did keep an eye on it as the project progressed. It was pointless though since it didn't present any change or function." Miranda was looking at Shepard, wondering why he'd seemed so shaken. Shepard on the other hand was nervous now. His Overdrive had been keyed in directly to his DNA, or more specifically that structure. Now it looked as if it were inactive meaning he might not even have an Overdrive to go into anymore! If that was the case, and that is a big if, then he was going to be in trouble when he faced an opponent, or group of opponents, that would be stronger than him.

"Could please forward anything on my body's condition. Whatever you put in me, looked over, changed, anything physical that is different from before the attack on the first Normandy, please forward it to her." Shepard said making Miranda's eyes narrow. Did he know what the function of that structure was? Even though she wanted to ask she somehow knew Shepard wouldn't go into it, so she merely nodded.

"Okay, but wouldn't you rather let me look into this? I do know more about it." Shepard stared at her unblinking, for a moment, weighing the pros and cons. Miranda's insight into the project's inner workings could help Chakwas speed through the research and be that much quicker to finding out what happened and how to possibly reverse it. On the other hand, Miranda could take said information to the Illusive Man and he'd try to recreate it. Shepard didn't need to go further than that to know how bad it would be.

"If I let that happen, I need you to promise me something." Miranda gave him a serious expression in response to his own that he had given her. She nodded for him to continue.

"Whatever you and Chakwas find out, whatever you work on, I want your word that you won't breathe, record or type a word of it to your boss." Miranda made to protest but Shepard kept going on, not giving her a window to cut in. "I want your word, Miranda. Not as a Cerberus agent. Not as my XO. But as a human, a person. I know under that cold layer you put up in front of everyone there is a decent human being that would keep her word."

Shepard's words seemed to make Miranda freeze. She herself looked to be weighing her options before nodding reluctantly. But her nod was not enough for Shepard.

"Say it."

"I, Miranda Lawson, vow not to report any of this to the Illusive Man regarding your files on your body and resurrection." Shepard nodded feeling more relieved now. Miranda, knowing Shepard made her promise because of her organization's reputation felt the need to defend it.

"Cerberus isn't as evil as most people believe. If I can help allay any of your concerns, I'd be happy to do so." Shepard looked at her for moment. Here he was with someone knowledgeable about Cerberus. Within reaching distance and not firing at him too. All of the questions in his head about the organization came barreling into his mind. He could finally find out more about the Project that created him.

"Okay." He simply said, shifting himself into a more relaxed position in his seat. Miranda smiled and placed her hands on her desk.

"So, what would you like to know?" She asked. Shepard though over his questions and decided to start small.

"Anything I should know regarding the Normandy?"

"The crew's working well, and the ship appears to be performing to specifications." Shepard nodded his head.

"What exactly are your duties, aside from keeping an eye on me?"

"I'm the Illusive Man's agent. You're his most important asset. My job is to make sure you succeed. Aside from that... I send regular reports to the Illusive Man, updating our status. As you well know." Miranda said with a neutral voice, though Shepard could detect the slightly irked undertone. It seemed he would have to ask the real questions now.

"Are you military or political? Or both?"

"Cerberus has several divisions: political, military, scientific. But we're all working towards the same goal. The teams you encountered before your... accident were mostly part of our military division. But not all Cerberus operations use the same protocols." Shepard had scowled at her mention of that, remembering all the raids he did on Cerberus. "We try not to get bogged down in bureaucracy or formality."

"I know what we're doing here, but what is Cerberus's long-term goal?"

"The advancement of the human race. Nothing more, nothing less." Miranda stated with a small inkling of pride, making Shepard almost twitch in annoyance. That was mostly a motto from what Shepard had seen so far.

"Really?" Shepard asked skeptically.

"The Salarians have the Special Tasks Group. The asari have their legendary commandoes for stealth and recon operations. Cerberus is humanity's answer to those organizations."

"But those organizations are regulated by governments. Who keeps Cerberus in check?" He had a feeling that it wasn't the Illusive Man.

"Nobody. We're privately funded and our backers trust the Illusive Man to make the right decisions. But he's very clear about our goals: protect humanity and serve its advancement."

'At any cost' Shepard thought making him wonder about how much Cerberus really has. It took near limitless resources to bring him back alone. It must take almost as much to fund this organization and its projects.

"What kind of resources does Cerberus have?"

"We're very well funded, though I doubt anyone other than the Illusive Man knows exactly how well. But our resources aren't unlimited. Reviving you and rebuilding the Normandy was a significant investment." She gave him a calculating look, "And a significant risk. We're all hoping you can do the impossible, Shepard. No pressure."

Shepard snorted which made Miranda look at him curiously, "Wouldn't be the first time." Miranda actually smiled at his comment. Next came the question that had been burning in Shepard's mind since Jacob admitted to working for Cerberus. Miranda would certainly know more than Jacob ever would about the enigmatic figure.

"What can you tell me about the Illusive Man?"

"Not much that you don't already know. Even I don't have access to most of his background. And you've seen more of him than most ever do. It's rare for him to become directly involved in missions, but you're something special. Whatever else people might say about him, I can assure you he's got humanity's best interests at heart. That includes you and me." Shepard wondered how much she actually knew about the Illusive Man or even his connection to Shepard.

"How can you be so sure, when you know so little about him?" Shepard argued back.

"I didn't get to where I am without knowing how to gauge people's motives and ambitions. Even form brief encounters." Shepard thought that was impressive. An intuition that was almost like his own if what she said was true. "He's no saint, and he'd be the first to admit it, but he is committed. Humanity couldn't have picked a better advocate."

There was such surety in Miranda's voice that Shepard almost wanted to believe her, but he had gotten a read on the Illusive Man too for the brief times he'd seen him and he did not like what he saw. He was everything that Miranda had said. No doubt about it, but that was the surface maybe even a little of the layer under that. But it was everything else about him that Shepard didn't like: A single man with an incredible reach that laid in the shadows. Cold, calculating, ruthless when needed. Completely willing to sacrifice anyone and anything to accomplish his goal or remove them completely if they hinder it. Yes, the Illusive Man was fully committed to humanity in an effort to keep it safe and Shepard knew what conclusion his 'benefactor' reached; The full supremacy of humanity where all possible threats were either removed from power or destroyed. At best, an all human Council on the Citadel. At worst... Shepard didn't want to think about it. Part of him really hoped that the Illusive Man would never go that far.

Shepard looked at Miranda who was studying him closely. He new she was no run of the mill spy. Her intelligence exceeded that. Her biotics and combat training hinted at something else too besides a keen mind. Shepard would go so far as to say Miranda felt somewhat similar to himself.

"Tell me about yourself, Miranda."

"I guess that's fair," Miranda's voice had taken a more warmer and welcoming tone, "I've spent the last few years learning everything there is to know about you." Shepard briefly wondered how much she knew about him, but shrugged it off. He'd find out later. Miranda had gotten up from her seat and stood behind it. "Well, you should know that I've had extensive genetic modification."

"Really? I suspected as much." Shepard said looking nonchalant. He didn't know for sure, but Miranda being modified some way had entered his mind after seeing her in combat. He wondered if she was like him. Another of Cerberus' projects.

"Not my decision, but I make the most of it." Shepard could slight bitter undertone in her voice. "It's one of the reason's the Illusive Man handpicked me. I'm very good at just about anything I do."

"What level of genetic modification are talking about?" Shepard asked with raised brow. Was it anything like his? Excellent metabolism, sharp eyes and sense of smell. Advanced biotics and strength. Higher stamina? Rapid regeneration? He knew her looks were involved too. Most women who have Miranda's skill set don't have a body as well balanced as hers. Yes, he had been looking. What? He was a guy! And she was a beautiful woman whose voluptuous body was covered in a tight, form fitting catsuit that emphasized her curves. At least he wasn't like the other guys. Shepard and Jacob could take one look at Miranda, give her an appreciative glance before focusing on what they were doing. All the other guys? They looked like they were in trance when Miranda walked by.

"It's very thorough. Physically, I'm superior in many ways. I heal quickly and I'll likely live half again as long as the average human. My biotic abilities are also very advanced... for a human." She said with a shrug, "Add to that some of the best training and education money can buy and well, it's pretty impressive, really."

"Sounds like you were designed to be perfect." Shepard said with a smile. From what she had said, she had been designed to be perfect, but whoever did it hadn't gone to the extent that his mother had. Her healing might be on par with his, but that was it. She certainly outclassed him in education considering he didn't really have a good one, but he was a fast learner whether it was observational or kinetic. Shepard had seen her biotic prowess and while it was decent he couldn't help but be impressed that she could use Slam on something even if it was on a beginner's level.

"Maybe, but I'm not. I'm still human, Shepard. I make mistakes like everyone else. And when I do, the consequences are severe. Everyone expects a lot from someone with my... abilities." Shepard merely smiled at her. He knew exactly what that was like.

"No, I guess I wouldn't. I mean all I've done is fight for freedom of a few thousand would-be slaves, hunt down a rogue spectre and then fight an ancient artificial intelligence trying to summon back more of its kind from dark space." Shepard said jokingly with his smile still in place. Miranda smiled back at him.

"I suppose you would." She said lightly.

"You certainly don't lack for confidence though, so that's a plus." Shepard continued making her give a small laugh.

"It's just a fact. My reflexes, my strength, even my looks-they're all designed to give me an edge. No point in hiding from it." She said making a gesture to her body. Shepard looked her from head to toe before smiling again.

"I can see that." He stated.

"It's the reason why I'm trusted to oversee the most dangerous, risky, and technically demanding operations Cerberus undertakes. And it's why I was assigned to you. It's my job to make sure you succeed, Shepard." Miranda finished with a smile. Shepard stood up from his seat.

"Thank you for the information, Miranda. I appreciate it." Miranda sat back down in her desk chair, "Before I go to continue my tour of the ship, there is one thing I want to ask you." At Miranda's curious look, Shepard asked her.

"What do you know about Project Alpha?" The smile on Miranda's face had seemed to melt away into the form of a frown.

"Project Alpha? How do you know about that?" She asked. How could Shepard have known about it? He had grown up away from Cerberus.

"Simple, because my mother was the Head Scientist on the project and I... I was its subject." Shepard said with a relaxed smile. Miranda looked at him cautiously, wondering if the Illusive Man knew about this. Believing that Shepard would be reasonable about this she chose what she said, carefully though, in case she was wrong.

"I know it was before I joined Cerberus and was only fours years after my birth." Shepard had to keep himself from showing his slight shock. Miranda looked young, like she could be in her early twenties at most, not mid-thirties. That genetic modification worked wonders for her. Not that there was anything wrong with her age of course. It was just the differences in his assumption that surprised him was all.

Oblivious to Shepard's thoughts she continued, "I do know that its purpose was to create the ultimate super soldier whose genetic modification surpassed my own. It was destroyed very similarly to how Wilson tried to take us out back at the Lazarus Research Station. And that there was only one subject: you." Shepard raised his eyebrow. Was that all? Miranda was looking at him tensely as if he was an animal about to strike. Well, he did give that impression when he found out they were Cerberus so he couldn't blame her.

"That's it huh?" Miranda nodded, "Was there anything else that may have been connected to it? I doubt Cerberus would give up on it just because of that."

"They did have two back up plans. One was to give the initial results to one of their _benefactors,_ " Miranda's tone became slightly bitter again, almost like the word was foul to her, "and then there was the Hoplite Project."

"What happened with the benefactor?" Shepard would later swear that he saw his own breath when Miranda's eyes become ice cold at the question.

" _He_ ended up destroying the data after skimming it. The Illusive Man was furious I believe at the loss when his benefactor's attempt was nowhere near as good as you." Shepard was almost flattered but the look of cold fury in Miranda's eyes killed that fast. Hoping to get his XO out of this chilling aura of hers he asked about the other thing she mentioned.

"And this Project Hoplite?" The room resumed its normal temperature as Miranda looked thoughtful.

"From what I know about it, it was basically an attempt to make a powerful commando nicknamed Hoplite to become a powerful soldier through training. Nothing genetically modified to the extent you or even I was. Last I heard of them was that the first unit that was sent out had been killed two years ago on Nonuel, out in the Hades Gamma Cluster." That sparked something in Shepard's mind.

"Wait a minute," Miranda looked at him wondering what came up, "these Hoplites, did they have any tech training whatsoever?"

"No, they never got that far. Back then the Military division only focused on biotics and combat applications. Tech wasn't included until 2184 and even then they were slow to incorporate it." Shepard couldn't help but shake his head at the sheer idiocy of whoever was in charge back then. Tech attacks were just as dangerous as combat and even some biotic attacks.

"Okay, but these Hoplite guys, did they have weapon training of all the weapons." Miranda nodded, "And their armor, was it green with one shoulder bigger than the other?" Miranda's eyes widened.

"You were the one that took out the first Hoplites?" She asked incredulously. They were meant to be the elite of Cerberus ground forces back then and there were four to a unit!

"Well..." Shepard said thinking back.

* * *

 _Flashback: Two Years Ago; Nonuel, Plutus System, Hades Gamma Cluster_

* * *

 _Shepard had just gotten out of Darius' compound after killing the man and his own guards. Here was what happened. Hackett had contacted him while he was getting nowhere with Saren. Apparently, Hackett needed him to negotiate a treaty with some man called Darius over the mining rights to_ _some asteroid which was rich in element zero. Now, had this been any other time, Shepard would have turned Hackett down flat, but Shepard had been so bored that he wanted to do something, even if it was a negotiation. Hell, he'd done it before with Aria and several other crime lords on Omega when they didn't respect the balance of things._

 _Hackett probably wanted Shepard to do this because he would be seen not just as the Ghost of the Terminus, but as the First Human Spectre too. That was when Aria called. Apparently, Darius had been crazy enough, or stupid enough, to actually attack some her own shipments in the Terminus as well as several others._ _A majority of said shipment owners blamed each other for their losses until Aria shut them all up and investigated it until she found out it was Darius. Seeing Shepard was her agent that was closest to his sector of space, she contacted him. In summary either make him give back what he stole, or kill him to prevent it from happening again._

 _So he went in, alone, believing he could probably charm or intimidate Darius into giving what Hackett and Aria wanted. The second he met Darius, that had been thrown out the window. The man was in short a presumptuous, arrogant, insufferable fucker who didn't know when to shut his damn mouth. The second he opened his mouth he had insulted Shepard about Torfan, Akuze, and downplayed his efforts on Elysium. Then he proceeded to believe that he wasn't even the Ghost of the Terminus. It didn't take long for Shepard to realize why Hackett wanted him to do the negotiation. Hackett was hoping that Shepard would kill Darius. Hearing Darius' demands only solidified Shepard's belief of what Hackett truly wanted._

 _Darius was trash anyway. He was out to get everyone. He knew Aria would come after him so he ran all the way here on the other side of the galaxy to get away from her knowing what she might do. He probably just got lucky in finding out that the asteroid on his turf was rich in eezo. Knowing that Darius' own greedy nature and arrogance wouldn't let him be swayed from his stupid demands for em, credits and red sand equipment. So without saying anything, after Darius' little speech, Shepard walked over to the nearest of Darius' retainers, which had been a krogan, and biotically threw him at two others. The salarian and human had been crushed under the krogan's weight. Shepard threw an incendiary explosive at the other two krogan that had been further away from the first krogan. The explosive let loose and blanketed the two in flames which burned through their armor. Shepard had taken out his pistol while throwing the grenade and fired up at Darius, nailing his two turian guards in the head though Darius had managed to duck out of sight._

 _Shepard switched to his shotgun and fired at the charging first krogan who had gotten back up. Three shot and he was down. A fourth shot and he was dead. Shepard turned to the other two krogan who were just now regenerating before Shepard fired a few shotgun rounds into them ending their lives. All that was left was Darius. Shepard walked up to the next level and rectified that quickly with his shotgun. So here he was exiting the compound almost back to his mako when he spotted four red laser dots zero in on him. Adrenaline flooded his veins and he dived for cover. The ground he was previously standing on exploded with the recoil of four sniper rifles echoing in the distance. He quickly took out his HMW Sniper and looked out to the small mountain that the outpost lived under._

 _He saw four armored figures at the top. Three were laying on the ground with snipers aimed in his direction and one was standing there watching them. He spotted the grenades on the side of the standing one. With assassinating precision, Shepard fired and scored the grenades setting them off. Shepard barely saw the standing guy panic and the other three move to get away before the grenades exploded. The three fell off the side of mountain, two hitting some things on the way down while one fell completely while on fire. Shepard heard the man hit the ground with a sickening crack. The other two eventually came to the bottom having skidded down the mountainside as means of preventing from falling to their deaths._

 _Shepard studied the two in front of him. Both of them were male. Clad in green armor he had never seen before with their faces covered by their breather helmets. Their weapons looked similar to basic equipment and all of them seemed to use all of their weapons which was the same arsenal that Shepard used. They were decent biotics from what he felt. That was when all of them took out a weapon. One took out an assault rifle and the other a shotgun. Shepard took out his HMW assault rifle before throwing an overload on both of them. The weapons in their hands spewed steam along with the ones on their backs. Shepard gunned down the one who had been holding the assault rifle. Best to take out the one with the longest range first._

 _The one with the shotgun glowed with a biotic aura and raised his hand. Shepard was lifted into the air and the soldier used Throw on him sending him flying back. Before he was flung away, Shepard threw a grenade of his own at him. The soldier created a biotic barrier each as the explosive went off. Shepard had landed on his feet, skidding a little while trying to look at him. From his HUD he could see that the soldier's barriers had taken the brunt of the damage and had nearly been drained completely. That is until his shields started replenishing faster and faster until full._

 _'So, he can use shield boost? Impressive.' Shepard thought before throwing another grenade at him. It would most likely be too soon for him to be able to use barrier again. He was right when he saw the soldier's shields go out but he surprised him again, this time the shields were gone but his armor wasn't being destroyed by the fire. Shepard analyzed the armor to see that the soldier had an Immunity ability, like himself. By this time Shepard's overload had worn off and the soldier was back to firing at him. Shepard gave himself a barrier and shield boost before throwing a Singularity in between the two and weaving it with a neural shock. Seeing the soldier caught in it and floating helplessly, Shepard used warp on the singularity. He had been close enough to feel the effects of the biotic explosion, but his barrier and shield boost protected him from it. The other hadn't been so lucky._

 _Shepard walked over to the corpse, his body bleeding and battered. Shepard took the time to analyze the other corpses and their weapons carefully._

 _'They weren't with Darius that's for sure. The armor isn't the same. Not to mention that these aren't your standard mercs. They actually made things interesting. And their weapons...' Shepard had Isaac make a schematic of them and had him look over their database of weapons. Isaac came up with no match. They had the same basic components, but accuracy and damage output was different from most others._

 _Their accuracy could match up with his own weapons and they were capable of doing more damage than most weapons on the market. However, their firing capacity was average. Though with the amount of damage they were capable of inflicting made up for it. Shepard had Isaac look over their armor too and found no match for it as well. Curious. Very curious. Shepard filed this information later and left to go back to the Normandy. He had to report to Aria that her thief wasn't going to bother her anymore and Hackett that his mining troubles were done with._

* * *

 _Flashback Over_

* * *

Miranda was looking at Shepard in shock. He had faced 4 of their best soldiers, alone, and made them look like amateurs! Even though he did say they gave him some trouble, but he didn't even bat an eye at their attempt. Was there that much of a difference between Shepard and the Hoplites? Miranda inwardly shook her head no.

The Hoplites back then were incomplete. Shepard had more experience in not just combat and biotics, but he was also an experienced tech expert. The first Hoplites merely scratched the surface of combat and biotics too. While Shepard had been able to use all of the known biotic abilities and combat talents, the Hoplites had only half of that. Factoring Shepard tech talents, the Hoplites were outclassed on that front alone. Then there was the difference in equipment. Shepard was using top of the line Spectre gear with armor to match while the Hoplites were using equipment that was made in Cerberus R&D nicknamed the 'Skunkworks' from what the other scientists called it. Their Hoplite armor nearly matched Shepard's Colossus Armor in Shields and damage protection. It beat it in protection against biotic and tech abilities, but Shepard's powers were beyond the usual standards.

"So are there any more?" Shepard asked snapping Miranda out of her thoughts.

"Hoplites? Yes, and they've improved since you last met them."

"Will they cause trouble on our mission?" Shepard asked with a raised eyebrow. If they improved since last time then he could be in trouble.

"No, they won't. Not unless we run across them and get in there way." Shepard raised an eyebrow at her response.

"Get in their way? What does that mean?" He asked. Miranda hesitated for a split second which Shepard noticed before answering.

"Cerberus Hoplites are the elite troops of Cerberus, our Spectres if you will." Shepard nodded in understanding. "Meaning that they can kill to get their mission done, no matter what or who gets in their way."

With Miranda's finishing statement Shepard's eyes widened before going back to normal. 'Okay, note to self: Avoid Hoplites until strong enough.'

"I see. Thank you for the info. I'll be going to continue my tour now." Shepard said before walking out. Miranda called out telling him if he needed anything to come to her which he responded with a wave. So he continued through with the tour, checking out the main battery and the AI core before going to the next deck. There wasn't as much in comparison to the previous decks for Engineering. He was kind of bummed that there wasn't much to do in the hangar. From what he found out, they had switched from using a mako to a drop shuttle. Differences in speed were noticeable since the shuttle could fly. Though, they were missing a vehicle. An M-44 Hammerhead. Shepard didn't know what that was but apparently it was much more faster and maneuverable than a mako and was also capable of firing with a guided missile system.

EDI had nothing on the two cargo bays that Shepard couldn't deduce himself, save that the starboard cargo area doubles as the trash compactor in the back of it. With that, Shepard decided to check into the main area of the deck: Engineering.

Shepard made it past the first door to find another door in front of him and a stairwell leading to some kind of sub-level below. He could surmise that this section of engineering was most likely meant to contain the blast from an overloaded engine core. Shepard thought about exploring sub-level underneath him, but decided to check things out on his current level first and activated the next door. Walking in, Shepard could hear someone grumbling about couplings.

"Ahh, damn couplings! The dock engineers just couldn't get the right ones could they? Or install 'em right either!" A young man who was looking over a console said in scottish accent. Beside him was a young woman who was looking over another a console. The young man was of similar build to Shepard and had short red hair while the young woman was petite coming to a height of around 5'7 and had short red-brown hair.

"Complaining about them won't make it any better, Kenneth. Go down and fix them." The woman told him. The man, Kenneth, sighed before turning around only to stop at seeing Shepard standing behind them silently. Huh, he had a mustache and a goatee going on too. Noticing her partner's lack of action, the woman turned around to see Shepard as well.

"You came all the way down here to talk to us?" Kenneth asked incredulously. Before Shepard could even open his mouth the young woman snapped out of her stupor and chastised her co-worker.

"You're speaking to our commanding officer." With that said, she gave a crisp salute making Shepard give her what he hoped was a reassuring smile. There was no need for military protocol with him, even if he did have to pick the name Commander.

"I'm Engineer Ken Donnelley, handling the power control systems. This is Gabby." Ken said gesturing to Gabby.

"That's Engineer Gabriella Daniels, actually." She said giving Ken a dirty look, "I'm responsible for the propulsion systems."

"What can we do for you, Commander?" Ken asked. Shepard looked at Kenneth's console. He could see that there was something flashing red on it but didn't know what it was. Not to mention that Kenneth seemed to be annoyed at something in the system.

"Are you set up okay down here? Is there anything you need?" Shepard asked. He did not like it when there were problems going on in Engineering. It was one of the more dangerous places for something to go wrong. The ship suddenly stopping and being stranded due to engine problems was probably the least of potential disasters that could happen.

"We can't complain. I just wish it didn't take so long to calibrate the FBA arrays-" Ken began to complain.

"Kenneth, you're complaining." Gabby said pointedly.

"What kind of problems are you having?"

"When they upgraded the Normandy design, they got a bit sloppy with the FBA couplings. I won't bore you with the tech, but there is an array of attenuators in the primary power transfer system that channels the field bleed-" Around this time Shepard started to feel sleepy as Kenneth began to drone. Thankfully, both were stopped by the other person in the room.

"Kenneth, you're boring the Commander with tech." Gabby said noticing Shepard's eyes had almost started to droop. They popped back open having heard her statement.

"In short, if we had T6-FBA couplings installed, it'd save us a lot of maintenance time each day." Gabby explained.

"Why isn't something like that already installed?" If it was capable of reducing maintenance by a large amount for the engineers, one would think that would be mandatory.

"It's probably just a design oversight. Efficiency isn't affected. It's a maintenance issue." Shepard raised his eyebrow at that. Maybe not in day to day things, but when the ship's engine is pushed that could come handy by making sure that there is no fatal energy bleed in the ship which could cause structural damage. That was definitely not good.

"Also, the T-6 model can be hard to find. Nashan Stellar Dynamics discontinued them." Ken added making Shepard think. He could swear he'd seen quite a few of them back on Omega and even they weren't what he'd seen he was sure that they could be found on Omega. If it was scrapped it surely found its way there.

"We could probably find used ones in the Omega markets. But we have no time for shore leave. Not to mention dangerous." Gabby replied to Kenneth, unknowingly speaking Shepard's thoughts.

"Well, then it's a good thing that we're heading to Omega now. Don't worry, I'll get you what you need. For now, carry on." Shepard said before walking forward to inspect the Normandy's engine. As he walked away from them, he could hear the two chatting.

"I'm amazed Shepard came down to see us." Kenneth's voice echoed.

"I told you he would."

* * *

With that, Shepard's tour of the ship was over and he immediately went to his room. Walking over to his armor locker, he took out his N7 armor and looked it over. Why did they give him the N7 anyway? He wasn't one. Though, Hackett did say they could name him among the elite of the N7 with his skills. At best, his armor could provide some small increase to protecting himself via his shields and the armor's own plating. It could also give him a slight boost in his weapon systems and abilities but that was it. Seeing that he couldn't improve his armor at the moment, Shepard looked toward his equipment.

His weapons were an easy adjustment, though he'd need to get better equipment later on. For the moment, he couldn't improve upon the ammo types since he required more research done on them first and he had know idea what the others were to add to his arsenal. His adrenaline rush was, sadly, going to have to come back on its own which was a real bummer.

The next thing he focused on was his tech talents. He currently could make a decent combat drone, a decent overload, a half-made tactical cloak and tech armor. Shepard looked over his omni-tool data to see what he could improve or install. The only thing he could improve at the moment was his tech armor, while he couldn't install anything else. He popped his fingers before setting to work. He opened his tech armor settings to see what the standards were on it. From what he could surmise, his tech armor was only half as great as it could be.

It boosted his shields by 50% which was good. When it was destroyed his tech armor would give off an energy pulse. This pulse had three factors that Shepard payed close attention to: The amount of force it exerted upon activation; The radius the force reached and how much damage it could give someone. By the numbers that his omni-tool was showing, it was capable of generating a force of 130 newtons which was enough to make his enemies stagger at least. At worst they may be stunned, depending on what kind of protection they're using. The radius of the pulse was an impressive 10 meters which means he didn't have to be too close. The damage output was lacking at a rating of 4/10, unfortunately. Oh well. The tech armor wasn't an offensive tech ability anyway, but purely a defensive one. Shepard tweaked what he could on it.

After a few hours of uninterrupted upgrading, Shepard finished. His tired eyes looked at the data from his omni-tool. He had managed to increase the shield boost capacity to 75% now which should be a big help alone. Then there was the energy pulse. The data informed him that the amount of force used had been increased by 30 newtons. The radius had also been enlarged by 2.5 meters. In response to the changes made it could now do a little more damage, but not by much.

A yawn made its way to his mouth before escaping. Shepard could feel tears in his eyes starting to form from the yawn, a little thing that had been with him since childhood. He looked at the clock to find it was around 8 o'clock. Right around now was probably the graveyard shift down below. His stomach suddenly growled doing an impressive imitation of a varren's own guttural noises.

'I suppose I should get some food before heading to bed.' He thought to himself. Shepard took the elevator down to Deck 3 and entered the mess hall. Once there he saw the older, balding man he saw earlier as well as a few other crewmen. Shepard walked up to the cook hoping to get some food. Before he could speak however, the man beat him to it.

"Ghost-I mean-Commander Shepard, the hero of the Citadel! You did humanity proud that day." The man said with a grin. He quickly introduced himself, "Mess Sergeant Rupert Gardner here. How can I be of service?" Shepard studied the man's features closely. He looked around to be in his fifties with a balding head with what hair remained started to grey.

"Hello, Mr. Gardner. Could I get a glass of water and something to eat, please?" Shepard asked politely before rubbing his face trying to keep himself from falling asleep. The Mess Sergeant nodded before getting a glass of water and handing it to him on the counter. The cook then grabbed a soup can, emptied its contents into a bowl before placing it into a microwave. As the soup cooked, Shepard kept the conversation going to pass the time.

"So what do you do here, Mr. Gardner?"

"What don't I do?" Gardner replied with a shrug, "Most think of me as the ship's cook, but I'm also the facilities technician and custodian. HVAC, plumbing, non-mission-critical electrical. I make sure sure they're all clean and running." Shepard nodded. While most people would think it was unnecessary job, they were dead wrong. You couldn't rely on automated systems to repair those things. Shepard found that out the hard way during his time with Zaeed. Wait a minute... if Gardener was the cook as well as the custodian then that meant...

"So the man cleaning the toilets is also preparing the meals?" Shepard asked for confirmation.

"I wash my hands... most of the time." Was the answer accompanied by Gardner scratching his shoulder, "This ain't no luxury liner. You have to pull your weight on a Cerberus vessel, and I catch what falls through the cracks." He defended at seeing Shepard's stone-faced look before chuckling, "heh, through the cracks."

"Look Mr. Gardner, I realize that your duties may press you for time, but please wash your hands when you can. I'd rather not have to find out that everyone on the ship caught a cold or something from eating food you prepared."

"Uh... Yes, Sir. Sorry Sir." Shepard gazed at the microwave which dinged. Gardner took the bowl out before taking a spoon out from a drawer nearby.

The bowl was full of some kind of soup. Shepard gave the soup a questioning look before taking the spoon and trying it, but not before looking at the ship's cook.

"Don't worry, Sir, I washed my hands before you came down." Shepard nodded as the spoon entered his mouth. It wasn't great, but it wasn't bad either. Oh well, at least it was hot.

"I make do with what I have, but have you ever tried to prepare a decent meal with military provisions?" Gardner asked having seen Shepard's nonchalant expression after testing the soup.

"Yes, furthest I got was probably crackers and cheese with some kind of canned food." Shepard answered taking another spoonful of the soup. Gardner nodded in agreement.

"Exactly. I'm good, but I'm no miracle worker. Taking down these Collectors is going to be rough business. The crew deserves a few fine meals before they throw themselves into the fire." Gardner said looking at one of the guys eating at the tables. Shepard noticed Gardner's tone had become a little solemn, but bade it no mind.

"I agree with you on that. What do you need?" Shepard asked almost finishing the bowl. Gardner looked thoughtful.

"If I had some quality ingredients... aw shit, you've got more to worry about than grocery shopping on the Citadel. Forget I mentioned it."

"Sadly we're going towards Omega right now. I'm pretty sure we can't get the food we need there. If we head to the Citadel, I'll keep an eye out. Forward me a list of what you need." Shepard said, finishing the bowl and his water. Gardner took the empty dished from Shepard and placed them in the sink.

"Much appreciated. Most of this list is probably standard fare for those namby-pambies on the Citadel anyway." Rupert thanked as he handed Shepard the list. Shepard looked over it. Most of it was regular stuff: meat, vegetables, fruits, breads, cereals.

"Right. Well, I'm not going to take up any more of your time, Sarge. I'm going to go hit the hay and catch some shut-eye. See you in the morning." Shepard said before leaving.

"Back to work." He heard the cook grumble as he left.

* * *

That night...

* * *

 _Shepard found himself walking down the familiar rustic hallways of Omega's docks until he came to someone he didn't believe he'd see for a long time. A man was looking down at a batarian on the floor. The batarian was no one special, but was kneeling on the ground in a lot of pain._

 _"_ _Please-hurk!" The batarian called out before the man kicked him right in the gut. The man himself was old, well older than Shepard, and wore yellow, white and black armor. There was a white shoulder plate lapsed over his right shoulder. There were tattoos going down his right arm._

 _"No one said you could talk, jackass." He spoke in an accented gruff voice. Shepard chuckled._

 _"Still the same as ever, Zaeed." He said. Zaeed paid no attention to him, nor did he seem to even hear him. Shepard frowned at the lack of response. He was used to Zaeed grunting or making some kind of movement to show he heard, but he never seen Zaeed outright ignore anything. He was too sharp for that. Suddenly, the batarian grabbed Zaeed's belt. Zaeed gave a blow to the batarian's skull with his armored elbow. The batarian fell to ground, unconscious._

 _"Piece of shit." The old veteran growled before a beeping sound was heard. Both Shepard and Zaeed followed it to the mercenary's belt to see several of his grenades had been armed. Shepard's eyes widened at the countdown, knowing how dangerous Zaeed's grenades were. The man loved to make his enemies feel the damage._

 _"Fuck!" Zaeed cursed. Before he could do anything, the grenades exploded. Shepard watched it happen in slow motion. The grenades breaking apart, revealing fire underneath. The broken fragments flying everywhere, most lodging themselves into his old teacher. Liquid fire coating him and the batarian both. Zaeed fell to the ground, dead._

 _Shepard couldn't speak or even breathe for that matter. Zaeed, the man who had trained him, was dead. The room suddenly twisted and morphed into another familiar area. His old pad. Shepard was looking around frantically. Why was he here? Where was Zaeed? What the fuck was happening?_

 _Gunfire suddenly sounded out. Why were people shooting near his old home? What the hell? He was in his room, which held a view over the place, to see several armed men march in with guns at the ready. At the entrance was a bomb of some short that went off, killing three of them, but the rest got back up and kept moving._

 _"What the fuck are you people doing here?!" Shepard shouted, but none of them even looked in his direction as if he wasn't there. The ground, now consisting of three men marched up the stairs and went to the right which led to his storage area and sniper nest. Shepard followed them as they came to the door that led into the room which was locked. One of them began to hack it. The red console turned orange showing compromised security. Shepard could hear sniper rife on the other side. Who the hell was using his house?_

 _The orange console turned green before the door opened revealing another bomb. The three mercs charged in apparently not seeing it. The bomb was tripped and exploded, killing them. Shepard walked in to see a turian in blue and black armor firing at several other mercenaries down on the bridge._

 _"Hey! Who are you and why are you in my house?" Shepard demanded. He was irked to find that the turian ignored him. "You know what? I'm sick of this! I don't care if you're under fire. Who the hell are you?!" He went to grab the turian's shoulder only for his hand to pass through it as if it was air. Shepard's eyes widened. What was going on here? The sounds of footsteps running up to their location reached his ears. He and the turian turned as several more armed men ran in. The turian aimed his weapon at them firing off one round which scored one them in the chest before the rest pelted the turian with bullets. The turian dropped his sniper rifle before falling back against the wall, a blue blood trail following as he slid down to the floor. The turian was couching wetly and gurgling, no doubt spitting up and chocking on his own blood._

 _Three individuals walked into the room. One was a pissed off looking salarian wearing Eclipse armor. Beside was a batarian clad in Blue Suns Armor. And beside the batarian was a huge krogan in Blood Pack armor._

 _"So this is the great Archangel. Not so impressive now is he?" The krogan growled. The salarian answered him._

 _"Not now, he isn't. Let's just be done with him and go. Kill him."_

 _"Agreed. It's time for this pest to die just like the rest of his team. But I want to look into his eyes before I blow his brains out." The batarian said as he moved towards the turian. The turian pulled out a detonator making everyone freeze while several aimed at him. Without making a sound he pressed the button and the room exploded into fire. On instinct, Shepard attempted to block himself from the blast only to find himself in a new area._

 _It was much more spacious and had huge fans. If he had to guess he would say he was in one of the environmental control areas. The terminal in front of him was a dead give away which showed the fans. For some reason they were off. Why? Was it maintenance? More gunfire sounded behind him. Shepard turned just in time to see a young man in a doctor suit rush past him to the computer terminal. Behind him was a salarian firing at a group of vorcha. The salarian was missing one his horns, clad in lab coat of some kind, and using a pistol that was different from Shepard's. An M-6 Carnifex if he remembered right._

 _"Professor, I've inserted the cure!" The human said as the salarian used incinerate on a vorcha using a flamethrower. The vorcha screamed and moved around before the gas tanks exploded from the heat, killing several others nearby._

 _"Excellent. Now activate fans. Cure must be delivered quickly or whole sector will die." The salarian said quickly. Shepard had to replay it in his head a few times to understand what he said though. The human_ _assistant seemed to look at the terminal searching for the controls._

 _"Oh, no! The vorcha cut systems from here. We need to-" The human started to say before a missile zoomed past the salarian and hit the terminal which exploded right in front of the human. The blast sent him back, glass imbedded in his face and neck._

 _"Daniel!" The salarian shouted before using a cry blast on a charging krogan. Some frost caught on its armor but didn't slow it down at all. The salarian tried to combat leap out of the way but the krogan had gotten too close. The krogan rammed into the salarian, carrying him with him until they both smashed into the destroyed terminal. The krogan backed away with some minor wounds letting the salarian fall to the floor. He coughed up green blood and wheezed. He attempted to reach for his gun only for the krogan to take his own shotgun, aim at the salarian's head and..._

 _BANG_

Shepard rose out of his bed with startle. He looked around to see himself in his bed on the Normandy. He looked at the time to see it was 5:25a.m. Knowing he won't get back to sleep, he got out of it of his bed. He didn't have any night clothes so he just wore his underwear to bed. He walked over to his bathroom, letting the cold floor help wake him up. Once inside he turned on the sink and splashed some cold water on his face, thinking over what he just dreamt.

'That was too real. Why was I seeing all of that? Zaeed, I know, but the other two, I'm pretty sure I've never seen them before.' His thoughts were interrupted by EDI's voice.

"Shepard, we have just entered the Sahrabarik System and en route to Omega. Estimated time of arrival is 20 minutes."

"Thank you, EDI. I'll be down in a minute." Shepard replied before sighing.

'Well, I better be ready. So who am I getting at Omega?' Shepard thought to himself as he got out of the bathroom. He looked up the dossiers on his personal terminal only to find three that were located on Omega. Any residual grogginess left him when he saw the same people he dreamt of last night.

'What the fuck?'

* * *

 **Okay, I'm going to cut it off here. I hope you all have enjoyed it, and I hope this makes up for the long absence! Please leave a good review. And for those of you who like Skyrim, I've made a** **oneshot of the Dragonborn at the end of his life.**

 **I hope you've enjoyed the chapter and that you continue to support my story.**


	7. Omega Part 1: The Veteran

**Such positive reviews always warm my heart!**

* * *

Recap: 'Well, I better be ready. So who am I getting at Omega?' Shepard thought to himself as he got out of the bathroom. He looked up the dossiers on his personal terminal only to find three that were located on Omega. Any residual grogginess left him when he saw the same people he dreamt of last night.

'What the fuck?'

* * *

 **Now**

* * *

Shepard was looking at three dossiers. Well, three dossiers and an email from the Illusive Man.

 _From: Illusive Man_

 _Shepard:_

 _We've reached an agreement with veteran mercenary Zaeed Massani. You may know the name; Zaeed has been involved in some of the best known (and some utterly unknown) military operations in the Terminus Systems, and is feared as a ruthless and relentless bounty hunter. I felt you might need a man with his skills on your mission, so I arranged to have him join you._

 _You will find him on Omega, where he's wrapping up his current bounty. Don't worry about his fee; I've taken care of that personally._

Shepard didn't worry about Zaeed's fee. He knew the old man charged a high price. What he was worrying about was the fact that he had dreamt of his mentor's death before reading this. Maybe... maybe it was someone else? He quickly looked at the dossier attached to the email.

Zaeed Massani: The Veteran  
\- Expert in both personal and small unit combat  
\- Unparalleled mercenary soldier and bounty hunter  
\- Known for a willingness to get the job done, no matter the cost  
Zaeed Massani is, without a doubt, the most feared mercenary and bounty hunter in the galaxy. His services have been retained by Cerberus at extremely high cost. He is currently awaiting pickup on Omega.

There was even a picture of him. Same scar, same white eye, same everything! What the hell?! Shepard forced himself to calm down. Why? Why did he dream all that? Going out on a limb, he looked at the next dossier for Omega.

Archangel  
\- Small-unit tactical expertise  
\- Omni-tool expert and noted sniper  
Archangel is a mercenary commander whose operations are noted for their technical expertise and strategic brilliance. He is responsible for high-profile attacks on gang leaders on Omega and can likely be found there.

Huh, the guy sounded pretty good. There was a video along with it. Shepard clicked on it and watched as the same blue-armored turian walked out of an entryway with several others and shot up a blue suns' base. Shepard recognized the armor, but there was no clear picture though. Still, there were plenty of turians that wore blue armor. Even on Omega. Shepard clicked on the next one and any doubt that it was a coincidence was crushed.

Dr. Mordin Solus: The Professor  
\- Biological weapons expert  
\- Light weapons training with Salarian Special Tasks Group  
Dr. Mordin Solus is a salarian biological weapons expert whose technology may hold the key to countering Collector attacks. He is currently operating a medical clinic in the slums of Omega.

There was a picture of him too. Red and white skin with a missing horn on his head. Shepard lent back in his seat. How? Did he perhaps see this and his mind zeroed in on them before going to bed? He shook his head. This was no time to be focusing on dreams. And if they were possibly visions, well to hell with them! He had enough of those with the prothean beacon.

"Shepard, is there something wrong?" EDI's voice sounded out. Shepard looked to where her avatar popped up.

"No, why do you ask?" He said putting his thoughts at the back of his mind.

"Because your heart rate has increased rapidly. Are you under some sort of duress?" Shepard's brows rose. It was nice that she was asking even if it was out of protocol more than anything else.

"Just a messed up nightmare. Nothing more. Thank you for asking though, EDI." The AI was silent for a split second which was a lot for an AI if Isaac had been any indication.

"You are welcome, Shepard. Logging you out." With that, the blue hologram was gone. Shepard looked back the screen of his terminal.

'Well, even if it were all true I'm certainly not going to let this get to me.' Shepard thought before walking over to his locker and got dressed.

* * *

The Normandy flew through the asteroid field with ease as it got ever closer to Omega. The asteroid field had been created by many sloppy and half-assed mining operations of the large asteroid turned space station. From what Shepard knew of Omega it was built in the mined-out husk of a metallic asteroid. Omega has been a haven for criminals, terrorists, and malcontents for thousands of years. At times the station has lain idle and abandoned for centuries, only to be reactivated by a new group of outlaws seeking a fresh start. The space station's original elegant design has given way to haphazard expansion by scrabbling factions of every species. There is no central government or unifying authority on Omega, and nobody can recall a time there ever was one. However, Shepard knew that it had at least three de facto leaders in its history.

One had been some turian that for the life of him, Shepard didn't know much of. That leader gave way to the next who killed him, ate his heart and wore his skull on his armor. That krogan was Shepard's former teacher on krogan culture, Patriarch. Patriarch ruled undisputed on Omega until some time in the 1980s when his trusted lieutenant turned on him and defeated him in single combat. That person now ruled over Omega with an iron fist brimming with biotic energy. Aria T'Loak, the Pirate Queen, biotic boss, and Shepard's former boss and biotic teacher. Not to mention the mother of his ex.

Yeah, he wasn't exactly looking forward to meeting her again.

The Normandy finally weaved past the asteroid field and came into the shadow of the old, jellyfish-silhouetted station. The ship flew past the many spires and columns of the station. Various lights dotted the rustic buildings. Shepard gave Joker the coordinates to best docking bay he could get that wasn't in use at the moment.

* * *

"So we're here. Man, this place is a dump." Joker said having seen some of the place already. Shepard was right beside him, clad in his armor looking out the window.

"Yeah, it is. Omega is what I like to call the dark, twisted counterpart to the Citadel. The name Omega is mostly what humans call it, but that's not its only name. All species got a name for it. The asari call it the heart of evil. The turians, the world without order. The salarians, the place of secrets. The krogan, the land of opportunity. And they're not the only species you'll find here either. Vorcha and batarians are among them too. So if you ever want to leave and explore this place, Joker, take an armed escort with you." Joker looked at him like he was insane.

"The hell I'm going out onto that station. I want to be on my ship just in case one of those asteroids decides to collide with the place." Shepard raised his eyebrow.

"That won't happen. Those red rods and red ring were massive mass effect field generators. They'll redirect any debris. But you staying on the ship is a smart choice."

"Really?" Shepard nodded his head.

"Omega's inhabitants are usually lawless. The only ones who had been able to establish some limited order would be the mercenary groups here."

"You know I'm liking this place less and less. No one's going to try to steal ship while we're docked right?" Shepard shook his head negatively.

"Not here, no." That was when Miranda and Jacob came walking up to them. Both were wearing their usual armor and were using the standard weapons they preferred.

"You two ready?" Shepard asked. Both nodded. Shepard turned back to Joker.

"We're going to be here a while so get comfy." Shepard made to walk out but stopped himself. "If a guy calling himself Jackie Chun tries to get in, for the love of God, don't let him in. If there is a guy calling himself Isaac Clarke, trying to contact me through here, he's cool." With that Shepard, Miranda and Jacob entered the airlock. Joker looked at Shepard's back in confusion. There would actually be people who would try to contact him from this station?

* * *

Shepard and company were in the airlock waiting for the decontamination sequence to finish.

"EDI, what do you know about our quarries here?" Shepard asked trying to pass the time. EDI responded quickly to him over the radio.

"I'm receiving quarantine warnings about the slums where Dr. Mordin Solus runs the clinic. Anticipate resistance at the transport station. I have also accessed messages between mercenary groups regarding plans to deal with Archangel. There's a recruiting station at Afterlife that may have information on him."

"And Zaeed Massani?" Shepard asked.

"I'm afraid there is nothing that I can find save for that he has docked onto the station."

"I see. Thank you, EDI." Shepard said as the decontamination stopped. The airlock opened and the trio exited. Within seconds, Shepard smelt the putrid, stale air that was Omega's atmosphere. He almost felt nostalgic as his eyes watered a little from the strong stench. Almost. He blinked away the smell and kept walking. The team stepped out into an old rusted out hallway. The windows showing the inside rock of the asteroid were covered in dust and grime. The three didn't even get that far down the hallway before a salarian walked down to meet them. Shepard could immediately tell that the salarian was a con man the second his eyes landed on him. The salarian gave them a smile and opened his arms wide in greeting.

"Ah! Welcome to Omega! You're new here, aren't you? I can always tell."

'Oh, I bet you can.' Shepard thought as his fingers inched toward his pistol. That was when a batarian came up behind the salarian. A batarian Shepard recognized. "Allow me to-" The batarian placed an armored hand on the salarian's shoulder before pulling him away from the group none to gently. The salarian's attitude changed from shifty confidence to fear within a second.

"Oh... hello, Moklan! I was just-" The salarian started to say before the batarian cut him off.

"Leave, Fargut. Now." Moklan ordered.

"Of course, Moklan! Whatever she wants!" The salarian agreed, shakily nodding his head. Moklan made either to strike him or make a shooing motion, but the salarian ran off as Moklan's hand raised up.

"Blasted scavengers." Moklan turned to Shepard. "Welcome back to Omega... Shepard."

"Hello, Moklan. How are things?" Shepard asked cooly. If Moklan was here, that meant Aria sent him. That meant she knew Shepard was here!

"You've got some balls coming back here. We had you tagged the moment you entered the Terminus Systems. You're not as subtle as you think."

"I wasn't trying to be subtle. If you're here, I'm guessing that means Aria wants to see me?" Shepard asked crossing his arms.

"Aria wants to know what brings a dead spectre, and former agent of her's, to Omega. I suggest you go to Afterlife now and present yourself." Moklan said, getting more threatening at the end. Shepard raised an eyebrow at him.

"Easy, Moklan. I may have been gone for two years, but that doesn't mean you can threaten me even with Aria backing you." Shepard said in a frigid voice. The batarian hesitated for a moment before speaking.

"Things explode around you, Shepard. You can't blame Aria for keeping an eye on you."

"I don't. I was going to meet with her again before continuing my business. I haven't forgotten Omega's only rule." The batarian nodded before stepping away to leave.

"Afterlife. Now." Moklan said.

"I'll be there shortly. You can count on it." Shepard replied lazily. Moklan left quickly enough. Looks like the Ghost of the Terminus hadn't lost his touch after all. The group followed after Moklan before Shepard saw something familiar. The hallway itself seemed to tug at Shepard's mind until he saw something further down. He walked down the hallway, almost breaking into a jog as Miranda and Jacob followed him. They eventually came to the end of it to find what, or more specifically who, Shepard was looking for.

In front of them was an older man in yellow armor with tattoos going down his arm. In front of him was a beaten up batarian. It was Zaeed and his latest bounty. Shepard was frozen for a moment. Every detail was similar. Right down to what was being said.

"Ugh... please." The batarian groaned.

"Shut it." Zaeed said before kneeing the batarian in the stomach. "No one said you could talk, jackass." Shepard made ready to stop the batarian from jumping Zaeed like he saw last time but now that he was there the batarian looked at him.

"Please... you have to help me." The batarian begged pitifully. Zaeed kicked him again making the batarian lose his breath.

"I said shut it!" Shepard approached the man from behind.

"Well, you certainly haven't lost your touch Zaeed, what's it been? Sixteen years? Have you managed to nail Vido yet?" The old mercenary stiffened before he slowly turned around to face Shepard. His old mentor had become a little more grizzly looking since they last spoke. The eye that Shepard made for him when he was younger seemed to be working still so that was good. Shepard smirked at Zaeed who still looked a little surprised.

"Shepard, it seems rumors of your death were greatly embellished. Heard you took down your down targets. Right damn impressive that was, kid. Who'd have thought the little punk I left here would be the crazy lunatic in front of me now." Zaeed replied with a grin at the end. That grin left though, "As for Vido, well, that stain his still around."

"But before we do anything more, I hear we have a galaxy to save." Shepard smirked.

"I assume you've been briefed?" Zaeed nodded.

"I've done my homework. Cerberus sent me all I need to know." Shepard's smirk was gone at the mention of Cerberus. The fact that he and Zaeed were on the same mission together was too much of coincidence.

"What's your relationship with Cerberus?" Shepard asked having feared that Zaeed had been in contact with organization when he was training him.

"Easy. Cerberus is paying me a lot of money to help you and on your mission. That's the long and short."

"Not many mercs would take a suicide mission for the pay. Not even you."

"Most mercs don't get an offer like the one Cerberus sent me. This mission doesn't sound like good business. But... your Illusive Man can move a lot of credits. Besides... I had to see for myself if you were on this too." Shepard almost chuckled before his gaze dropped to the batarian who was getting back up. The batarian suddenly lurched toward's Zaeed's belt just like in the dream. Shepard, however wasn't going to let that happen. He gestured to the batarian who was suddenly caught in a stasis field. Huh, so he still had that? Great. He honestly didn't know it was going to work. Zaeed looked behind him to see his prisoner completely stunned in a grabbing position before turning back to Shepard.

"So you did become a biotic. Full of surprises as always. I could have handled him though."

"I'd rather he not set off your grenades. I've seen what those things can do." Shepard said, "But now that we're on the subject, my contacts told me we're picking up one man. Not two."

"Batarian delinquent. Pissed off someone rich enough to hire me to go after him. And for my 'bring 'em in alive' rates even." Shepard gave an appreciative whistle.

"Your normal rates are expensive enough, but your alive rates are almost twice that." The stasis field dropped letting the batarian fall on the ground like a rag doll.

"Please... I didn't do it..." The batarian moaned out before Zaeed kicked him in the face.

"I said shut it." Zaeed growled. He was staring down at the batarian, but resumed talking to Shepard, "Tried to lead me on a chase all over the Systems. He should have known better. These people always run to Omega."

"Ain't that the truth. So what's going to happen to him?" Shepard asked as he stared down the batarian too.

"You know the drill, or have you forgotten? I'm going turn him in for the bounty. Don't much care what happens after that." Shepard regained his smirk as he stuck his hand out.

"Good to have you, Zaeed. We have a lot to do." Shepard said as he and Zaeed shook hands.

"That's what they tell me, but with you involved... I'm sure it will be interesting." Zaeed took out his omni-tool which turned into an omni-bow. He gestured the batarian to get up. The batarian rockily stood up on his feet.

"I assume the Illusive Man told you about our arrangement?"

"What kind of arrangement?" Shepard asked. The Illusive Man failed to put that in the dossier, but he wasn't complaining.

"Good thing I asked. Picked up a mission a little while back, just before I signed on with Cerberus. Thought might be interested. You remember Vido Santiago, right?" Shepard nodded, already having an idea of where Zaeed was going with this.

"Head of the blue suns. Runs the whole organization and your mortal enemy." Shepard said making Zaeed nod.

"Seems he recently captured an Eldfell-Ashland refinery on Zorya and is using their workers for slave labor." Shepard's eyes narrowed, "The company wants it dealt with."

"We'll get that done, I'll make sure of it, but it'll be a while before then." Shepard replied. Vido just went up on his list of people to kill. Zaeed smirked at him knowing that Shepard wouldn't let Vido go if he was keeping slaves.

"Good. Get it out of the way so we can concentrate on being big goddamn heroes." Zaeed said with some excitement. The batarian seeing his captor's attention was on Shepard made a break for it. The batarian got 5 meters away before Zaeed fired an omni-bolt into the batarian's leg. The fool cried out as he fell to the ground clutching his wounded limb, trying to stem the blood flow.

"I better turn this thing in before it starts to stink." Zaeed began to walk away, "I'll be locked and loaded next time you're ready to get some killing done."

"Get to the ship, pick a room, and meet us outside of Afterlife in a few minutes, Zaeed. I have a feeling we're going to need you soon." Shepard said remembering what EDI had informed him before leaving the Normandy.

"Right." Zaeed acknowledged before leaving their sight. Miranda and Jacob turned to him.

"Have you two met before?" Miranda asked making Shepard look at her.

"He's the one who trained me after Mindoir." Was all Shepard said as he walked past them. The two followed him through the hallways questions still buzzing in their minds. Shepard had been trained by Zaeed Massani?

"Seriously? You were trained by him?" This time Jacob had asked. It was somewhat difficult to believe that Shepard had been trained by a mercenary.

"Yes, he picked me up on Mindoir after the raid and I asked him to train me. He did for five years and that was the end of it. Now, come on. We need to meet with Aria. She doesn't like to be kept waiting." Shepard replied before they came to the exit. They went through the door to see the initial district which showed Omega in its full glory with the skyline filled with numerous transports and cars. Shepard had to take a minute as he walked over to the railing, looking out towards the rest of Omega.

The station was low on light, a testament to how dark the place was. The shadow which covered most of the station was dotted by multiple little lights bringing about various shapes of buildings and structures. There was one big light in the distance that acted as an artificial sun of sorts for most of Omega. He was truly back. It felt kind of strange. He had been by this place, seen this view multiple times in his time as the Ghost and later in Aria's employ, and only now did he really feel anything for it.

'Talk about the call of home.' He thought dryly. His nostalgia was cut short by Miranda voicing her opinion.

"Omega. What a pisshole. I've had to come here on business before. Feel like I need a shower afterword-in addition to normal decontamination." Her comment made Shepard nod his head absently. He had certainly felt that way for a time during his first few weeks on the station. But he got over it quickly enough.

"Yeah, I know what you mean. You get used to it given enough time." By the look on Miranda's face, Shepard could tell she didn't want to be on the station long enough for that. Shepard snorted before walking along the familiar streets.

"Come on. May as well keep moving." The two followed him silently. They walked for a few moments until Shepard saw the familiar structure of Afterlife. The club's music was blasting so loudly you could hear from outside, as usual. Its pink holographic display was showing three asari dancers dancing seductively as two flamethrowers were blowing out flames on either side. Shepard looked at the door to see a line had formed with an elcor bouncer at the front. Shepard raised an eyebrow. Same old, same old.

"Come on let me in. Aria's expecting me!" The annoyed human at the front said as Shepard moved past everyone and approached.

"Annoyed: If she were expecting you, you would already be inside." The bouncer replied in a bored tone. Shepard could just barely detect the annoyance in his voice.

"Ugh! You've let ten people in while I've been standing here!"

"Uncaring: They were VIPs."

"Don't you know who I am?"

"Matter-of-factly: No, I don't. Get in line."

"Look, I'll pay you. I'm prepared to offer you 50 credits." The human tried as he pulled out his omni-tool. Shepard had enough and just moved past the elcor who noticed him.

"With barely restrained menace: Where do you think you're going?" The human was looking at him in shock. Shepard calmly turned to the bouncer and gave him a once-over. He was new to the job, or at least new enough that he didn't know Shepard.

"I'm going to speak with Aria. Got a problem with that?" Shepard asked nonchalantly. The bouncer didn't scare him. Shepard turned to the door to find two batarians guarding it. One held an assault rifle while the other had a datapad, no doubt listing all possible VIPs and appointments. The batarian with the datapad looked at him before looking at the list.

"Name?" Shepard had to suppress a smirk.

"John Shepard." The batarian froze momentarily before giving him a glare.

"Very funny, human. Everyone knows he's dead. Now get the hell out of here before we shoot you." The batarian snarled as the other aimed at him. This time Shepard did smirk.

"Why don't you look on your list?" Shepard said confidently even though he could see Miranda and Jacob fingering their pistols. The batarian snarled before looking back at it. A few seconds went by before all four of the batarian's eyes widened. Said eyes rose to see him again the anger completely gone and replaced with more than a little nervousness.

"He's clean. Let him through." The batarian lowered his rifle before looking back ahead. The elcor bouncer, who had been lumbering up for a fight backed off slowly before returning to his post.

"And my squad?" Shepard asked.

"They're allowed in so long as they are with you." The batarian said. Shepard nodded as the doors opened. The three walked into the long hallway without much of a fuss, save for a group of batarians that Shepard easily scared off. One of the batarians actually made a throat-slitting motion at a Shepard before he aimed his pistol at the batarian who ran away quickly. The three walked down the hall and came to the upper area of Afterlife. The music washed over Shepard, along with other things like the smell of sweat, alcohol, drugs and other things.

'Oh the memories.' Shepard smirked. He passed by several tables smelling the alcohol and whatever they were smoking. He could hear people chatting away with whatever they were doing. Some were miners, smugglers, mercenaries, and other things as they kept on chatting. He stopped short as he got to the bar. Looking up at the stairs leading to the throne he thought about how he should approach Aria. On one hand, take his squad up to her and have either a civilized talk or get shot at. On another hand, same thing but leaving his squad at the bar, possibly reducing any hostility, and if not, providing a better surprise attack with Aria's guards keeping their eyes on him who would be at the center. Shepard turned to Miranda and Jacob.

"Why don't you two stay and have a drink?" He said nodding to the bar. When both seemed to protest, Shepard added, "You being up there with me will be of little help. Aria will most likely address me and only me."

Miranda seemed to catch on to what he was saying before nodding, giving the guards on the stairs a glance, "Come on, Jacob. The Commander can handle this."

Jacob almost seemed to argue but one glare from Miranda and he shut his mouth quickly. The two went to stand at the bar as Shepard turned and walked up the stairs. As he moved up the steps, Shepard nodded to the batarian guard holding a rifle.

"Anto."

"You want to talk? Talk to Aria." Anto grumbled. Shepard rolled his eyes. Same old Anto. Shepard made it to upper floor and was greeted by the sight of Omega's throne with its queen looking out over her kingdom. She was clad in a black leather suit that stuck to her figure like a second skin almost. She wore a red white sleepless jacket over it giving her some modesty. In front of her was a deluxe leather couch that was the best credits could buy on the station. She had two asari dancers that were dancing erotically on either side of said couch. If that was not enough, she was surrounded by multiple guards Who did not seem distracted in the least by the dancers. Not to mention that there were several high class, at least for Omega, patrons who were there to seemingly talk business with Aria.

But Shepard knew they were all guards. It was impressive to say the least. Even the two dancers that Aria had were trained to kill. He knew because he had once been a part of them. So it was with a sigh that Shepard climbed the last few stairs until he was directly behind Aria.

"That's close enough." The Pirate Queen spoke not looking at him. Shepard stopped immediately as he heard several guns become unholstered and aimed at him. He made no move to resist... at least not yet. Aria nodded at the batarian guard standing beside her to do something. Shepard recognized the batarian as Garka as the guns were lowered. Garka's omni-tool lit up and showed a full body scanner showing Shepard's outline and, if he wasn't mistaken, his biometric records.

"Stand still." Garka ordered as the scan progressed. Shepard found himself irritated by this unnecessary precaution. Who else would have the stones to come to Omega wearing his face? Who?! Feeling his anger take over he grabbed Garka by the chest plate and pulled him close.

"Try it and you'll be scanning the inside of your colon, Garka!" Shepard growled. Garka's expression had a flicker of fear pass through his eyes as, unknown to Shepard, his eyes flared red for a split second before going back to normal. Aria actually chuckled at Shepard's threat.

"I'd almost pay to see that. But it's not an option. You want to talk, you get scanned." Shepard quickly calmed himself as he let go of Garka who got back to scanning, but now keeping the maximum distance he could to be out of Shepard's reach. Shepard gave a cold stare at Aria's back now as he willed himself to cool down.

"All you had to do was ask if you wanted to be sure, Aria." He said making sure she heard him.

"I don't ask, as you well know. Besides, that can be anyone wearing your face." Aria replied as she continued to face away from him. Shepard sighed. Aria's general paranoia was at work again. Not that he blamed her. He'd seen more than a few would-be-assassins try to get to Aria. One got close enough, right where he was standing actually. But he didn't actually make it since both Shepard and Aria had been there. Long story short, the guy ended up as paste on the wall courtesy of two powerful biotic throws.

"He's clean." Garka said looking somewhat disappointed. Aria turned to him with a studious gaze. He noticed her eyes gleam over his orange scars more than anything else.

"You've got some explaining to do, Shepard." Aria stated as she bade him to sit down. Shepard did so, not wanting to slight Aria. At least not when she was within arms reach.

"I'm sure I do." He sat down on the couch feeling himself sink into the cushion a little. "Though you might disappointed."

Aria looked at him curiously, "Oh really?"

"Yeah, one minute, the Normandy's exploding around me. The next, I'm waking up on an operating table." Shepard ran a finger over his scars.

Aria nodded. She knew he would tell the truth. Not the whole truth, but enough. "I see."

"I've got some questions, myself."

"Depends on the questions." Shepard gave a small smirk. Same old Aria too.

"Well, first off, you still running Omega?" He asked with his smirk growing bigger. Aria gave a dry chuckle of mirth. She turned away from him as she stared out towards the club, the neon light illuminating her face.

"I am Omega." She said as she spread her arms before turning back to him, "But you need more. Everyone always needs more something. And, as you know, they all come to me. I'm the boss, CEO, queen if you're feeling dramatic." Shepard rolled his eyes discreetly. Aria was a bit on the dramatic side when it came to her rule. "It doesn't matter. Omega has no entitled ruler and only one rule." Aria sat down on the center of the couch in a relaxed position.

"Don't fuck with Aria." Both Shepard and Aria said at the same time. Aria allowed a small smile to form on her face, pleased with the fact Shepard remembered that much. That smile was gone just as quickly as it formed.

"Good to see the regime hasn't changed much while I have been... indisposed." Shepard quipped, hesitating on the last word. It still bothered him that he had been dead and brought back.

"So what can I do for you?" Aria asked with a raised eyebrow. Shepard mulled over what he could ask. Whatever questions about Aria, Omega, and her indifference to himself would be redundant seeing as he already knew so he decided to get down straight to business.

"I'm looking for Mordin Solus. Do you know where to find him?" Shepard asked as he relaxed into the couch.

"The salarian doctor?" Aria's tone became interested, "Last I heard he was trying to help plague victims in the quarantine zone." Aria actually smiled again, "I always like Mordin. He's as likely to shoot you as he is to heal you."

Shepard looked at Aria quizzically. Did she know Mordin?

"What can you tell me about him?"

"Used to be part of the Salarian Special Tasks Group. He's brilliant and dangerous. He never shuts up." So nothing he didn't already know.

"And where could I find him?"

"If you really need to find him, take a shuttle to the quarantine zone. No guarantee they'll let you in of course." Alright, he knew where he could one squad member, now for the other.

"I'm also trying to track down Archangel." Aria looked at him for a moment before replying.

"You and half of Omega. You want him dead too?" Shepard's eyes widened for a split second at the question.

"Why's everyone after him?" Aria seemed to get an annoyed look at the thought of Archangel.

"He thinks he's fighting on the side of good. There is no good side to Omega. Everything he does pisses someone off. It's catching up to him." Shepard fought back a grin. This Archangel guy sounded a little like him when he first started out as the Ghost of the Terminus.

"Sounds like just the guy kind of guy I'm looking for." Aria snorted. Apparently she had seen the resemblance too.

"I thought you'd approve," Aria spoke before her gaze narrowed on him, "but you still haven't answered my question."

"And here I thought I'd steered clear of it. Well, I'm putting a team together, and he's on my list." Aria studied him for a moment before smirking at him.

"Interesting. You're going to make some enemies teaming up with Archangel. That's assuming you can get to him. He's in a bit of trouble right now." Shepard's eyebrows furrowed. That sounded serious.

"What kind of trouble?"

"The local merc groups have joined forces to take him out." Shepard's furrowed brows rose at the sound of that as Aria kept going, "They've got him cornered, but it sounds like they're having trouble finishing him off." Shepard couldn't help but whistle. Whether in admiration or simply incredulousness, he didn't really know.

"They've started hiring anybody with a gun to help them." Aria added, though Shepard was sure that she seemed to have an idea in mind.

"That could be my way in." Shepard added looking up at the ceiling in thought.

"They're using a private room for recruiting... just over there." Aria said nodding over to the left. Shepard could just barely make out a room with a bodyguard near at someone walking out of it. "I'm sure they'll sign you up."

"I see." Shepard replied as he looked back to Aria. He wondered if she knew more about Archangel than the Cerberus dossier did, "What can you tell me about Archangel?"

"Not as much as I'd like," Aria answered with a small frown. Shepard knew she didn't like being in the dark about certain individuals on her station, "He showed up here several months ago and started causing all kinds of problems. If you make your own laws-which everyone here does-he makes life difficult. He's reckless and idealistic. But he seems to know enough to stay clear of me."

"Sounds familiar." Shepard replied with a chuckle. He noticed Aria smirk for a moment before it disappeared. Shepard wondered about the merc groups he would be facing when he went for Archangel. "Which merc groups are after Archangel?"

"Blue Suns. Eclipse. Blood Pack. They're Omega's major players. Unless they're at war, you'll never see them together. But one thing they hate more than each other is Archangel." Shepard had to suppress a groan at hearing that. So that's what it was coming down to. Archangel had obviously been hurting the gangs seriously if he got them to unite against him. Forget Archangel being like him, he knew when to stop and what lines not to cross. Archangel seemed to ignore all of that. Shepard looked at Aria. He knew she wanted him to do something if she was giving this information so freely. Did Aria want Archangel to be stopped?

"Do you hate Archangel?"

"I don't have time for hate. But I distrust them all equally. For now, I'm happy to just let them kill each other." Ah, so that was her game. Now that she had a new piece on this game, one she knew wouldn't stand by, she'd send him in to remove them, one way or another.

"I appreciate the help." Shepard grumbled with a mild grimace.

"See if you still feel that way when the mercs realize you're here to help him." Aria replied cheekily having seen Shepard's expression.

"Sounds like I don't have much time to waste with Archangel and Mordin. Thanks for the information."

"You have all the time in the world... Archangel not so much. And as for Mordin, well... try not bring the plague back with you." Shepard got up to leave but stopped himself before walked back down to the club.

"Before, I go... I have to ask. How is she?" He asked looking over his shoulder. Aria knew who he was talking about. Why he didn't say her name in case someone was listening in. Aria stared at him for a moment as if deciding what to tell him before...

"She's moved on." Shepard knew it had been true enough. The way he left things back then had seemed like a goodbye or a 'see you later' and part of him was happy the Liselle didn't dwell on him, but he'd be lying if he said he wasn't hurt.

"I see. Good." He moved to leave.

"Do you have a message for her?" Aria's voice said from behind him making him stop again. Should he have a message for her? After all that has happened? After all this time? Even so, that didn't erase what had been between the two of them.

"Tell her I'm sorry things had gone the way they did. And that I'm happy she didn't dwell on a ghost." With that he left. When he got to the club floor he looked around for Miranda and Jacob to find them at the bar he had left them at. They didn't seem to notice his approach so they had continued their conversation where he could hear them even if they were in a club.

"This place-how can these people be left to rot like this?" Jacob said with mild disgust.

"You don't understand or you don't want to?" Miranda asked in a somewhat snippy tone.

"Does it really matter?"

"No. Omega has been like this for a very long time. No one's changing it now."

"She's right, you know. Omega has, and will always be like this. A shithole." Another voice said cutting into the conversation. Shepard looked toward the voice to see it was Zaeed with a new assault rifle and sniper rifle on his back.

"Yeah, I guess you're right." Jacob said with a sigh. That was when they noticed Shepard walking up to them.

"How did it go?" Miranda asked.

"I got good news and bad news. Good news is that I know where Archangel and Professor Solus are."

"And the bad news?" Jacob asked.

"Bad news is that to get them to join us we'll need to go through 3 merc groups and a plague respectively." Shepard said with a sigh.

"Fuckin' hell." Zaeed cursed.

"We need to get to Archangel first. As good as he is, I don't think he can withstand a near continuous assault by the three biggest merc groups on Omega for much longer. We do have a window of opportunity though."

"And that is?" Miranda asked as she looked at him curiously.

"Archangel has been hitting the gangs so hard they've been recruiting and have set up a station in this club. Right over there." Shepard said gesturing to the room on the far side of the club.

"Well, what the hell are we doing 'ere? Let's get going." Zaeed said as he made his way to the recruiting station. Jacob followed along silently. Shepard made to follow after them but a slim hand on his shoulder made him stop.

"Are you alright?" Miranda asked with some mild concern.

"I'm fine. Why do ask?" Miranda scrutinized him.

"It's just that you looked sad when you were talking with us. Jacob isn't that perceptive about these things and you're old friend... well."

"Has the sensitivity of a rock?"

"Yes, so is there something bothering you?" Shepard thought about telling Miranda the everything for a moment before deciding against it. No point in bringing up this particular piece of his past up anymore than it already has... But still it might be nice to vent a little.

"Just something I talked about with Aria. It struck me a little but I'll be fine in time." Miranda looked him in the eyes as if to see what exactly was bothering him. After a few seconds she let it be.

"All right then. If you ever want to talk about it you can talk to me." And with that she walked after Zaeed and Jacob. Shepard hesitated for a moment before following. Maybe Miranda wasn't as cold as he believed her to be.

* * *

 **DON'T SHOOT! [Cowers under a desk while multiple guns are aimed at him] I SWEAR I DID NOT MEAN FOR THIS TO TAKE THIS LONG. BETWEEN WORK, GENERAL LAZINESS AND FINALLY GOING BACK TO SCHOOL, I COULDN'T BRING MYSELF TO WRITE. I KNOW IT DOESN'T MAKE UP FOR THE LONG ABSENCE, BUT HEY BETTER LATE THAN NEVER, RIGHT?**

 **[Guns begin to cock just before firing.]**

 **You shoot me, there will** **definitely be no more Ghost of the Terminus!**

 **[Guns lower slowly]**

 **Whew!**

 **[GUN SHOT]**

 **AWWWW! MY HAND! MY HAND! YOU TOOK OFF THREE OF MY FINGERS! I CAN'T WRITE OR TYPE AS FAST NOW!**

 **[Other guns turn on the perpetrator before firing]**

 **[Reviewer543 bandages his hand before putting his fingers on ice]**

 **I'll try to update as soon as I can! Also to help the writing, and healing process, could someone who I follow or favorite update their stories or something? Please?**

 **Tell me what you thought! Good? Bad? Okay? This chapter is going to be part of two or three so...**


	8. I'm not stopping

Hey, everyone look... I'm really sorry that I haven't been updating recently. I know after last time I was promising that wouldn't let it happen. Over the last couple of moments I've been doing school work which was keeping my grades from failing and for those of you who are in college, you know that if your GPA goes down a certain level, they kick you out of the program.

On top of that, I've been going through small bouts of depression due to this when ever I fail a major quiz/test and it has happened over the course of these last few months. There have even been times that I thought "Oh my God, this is it. I've failed and I can't bounce back." I've also been trying to turn over a new leaf, like getting into religion more now and joining up with other social groups.

I still haven't given up on this story or my Dragon Age story. I love them. I still do even after all this time and I don't plan to quit. I've just recently gotten my spark back and I'm going to use it first on my other story because it has been even longer for it. But I promise after that I'm going to my best to update. So please just be a little more patient.


	9. Omega Part 2: The Archangel (1)

**To the guest(s) that keeps reviewing and asking for me to update, I have some things to say to you.**

 **1) Thank you for the reviews.**

 **2)Thank you for being polite.**

 **3) I applaud your** **perseverance and tenacity.**

 **4) This chapter is for you... as well as everyone else. ;)**

* * *

Recap: "All right then. If you ever want to talk about it you can talk to me." And with that she walked after Zaeed and Jacob. Shepard hesitated for a moment before following. Maybe Miranda wasn't as cold as he believed her to be.

* * *

 **Now**

* * *

Shepard and company stepped up to merc recruiter who was standing guard just outside of the room.

"I hear you're recruiting." The merc was a batarian who was clad in blue suns armor. All four eyes gazed at Shepard before going over each of his squadmates carefully. He seemed to find no fault with them after giving a hard look at their weapons.

"Hmmm. Why don't you step inside?" He said motioning to the door. The group walked through the door to find another batarian was typing on a computer with a freelancer in front of them.

"You'll get paid when the job's done, just like everyone else." He finished typing as the freelancer left. "Who's next?"

Shepard took his spot in front of the recruiter's terminal while the recruiter looked over Zaeed, Jacob and himself. "You three look like you could do some damage," His eyes then zeroed in on Miranda, "and you, well aren't you sweet? You're in the wrong place, honey. Stripper's quarters are that way." The batarian nodded to the door as he resumed typing.

Shepard felt himself bristle in anger on Miranda's behalf, and was about to say something until the lady in question beat him to it. She took her pistol out and gave it an appraising look. "Show me your's tough guy. I bet mine's bigger."

Zaeed snorted in amusement with Jacob repressing an obvious smirk. Shepard kept a stoney look but on the inside he was laughing his head off at the face the batarian made which was a mix of indignation and fear.

"Impressive. So you're here to fight, then? Looking for a good one, I'm guessing?" Seeing that he wouldn't last long against Miranda, and that they needed to get to their quarry as fast as possible, Shepard decided to cut-in.

"Sure, if this is the place to finish off Archangel." Was his smooth reply.

"This is the place." The batarian said with a nod before looking at his terminal again, "Standard fee is 500 hundred credits each. You get paid when the job's done. If you die, your friends don't collect your share. You'll need your own weapons and armor," He looked back up, observing them, "Looks like you've got that covered. And no, this does not make you a member of the Blue Suns, Eclipse, or the Blood Pack. You are a freelancer. Period." He finished in a dull tone that spoke of the multiple times he had repeated it.

"Any questions?" Shepard wanted ask him how the groups were faring against Archangel, but he knew he'd have to ask without seeming like he was against them.

"Why are the mercs working together to take out Archangel? You normally can't get Blue Suns and Blood Pack on the same street without shots being fired."

"Haven't been on Omega long, huh?" The batarian deadpanned.

"Not in recent months, no."

"He does everything he can to screw with us. Shipments go missing, operations are compromised... every month it gets worse. Tarak and the other bosses are tied of losing credits... and men." So Archangel had kicked them where it hurts. Shepard had already surmised that much, but who was Tarak? One of the new bosses?

"Tarak? Is he a heavy hitter? How many merc bosses are involved in this attack?"

"Yeah, Tarak runs the Blue Suns," So the Blue Suns did get a new leader while he was away. Figures. "but all three bosses are overseeing the operation. Garth's leading the Eclipse, and Garm's head of the Blood Pack." Shepard had never heard of Jarod, but Garm he definitely knew. Garm was a huge, mean son of a bitch, even for a krogan. Not to mention his regeneration surpassed most other krogan Shepard had encountered. Shepard had met Garm once as the Ghost while he was employed by Aria. Long story short, Garm had gotten arrogant and Shepard had to knock him down a few dozen pegs.

"Tarak's in charge, but the others would never say that. I'm surprised they're in on this at all, but I guess getting rid of Archangel is worth it." The batarian shrugged at the end.

"What do we do once we're there? How do we get to Archangel?"

"The merc troops will tell you when you get there. Last I heard, they were putting the freelancers into scouting groups; they attack in waves to distract Archangel while we try to get past his defenses."

"So we're just fodder for his bullets?" Shepard couldn't help the slight bitterness in his tone. Don't get him wrong, this worked perfectly for him and his team. He just didn't like being used as a simple distraction for mercs. Luckily the recruiter either didn't hear Shepard's tone or didn't care.

"If you don't like it, don't sign. But if you do your job right, it's easy creds. Besides, what are the odds he can kill all of you?" Shepard remembered his dream but quickly pushed it away from his mind. That wouldn't happen. It didn't with Zaeed, it won't with Archangel. Shepard nodded, playing along.

"Seems like a lot of trouble for just one guy." He commented hoping the merc would take it.

"He had a whole team, but we've dealt with them. Now he's just one guy. But he's got the advantage. It's his base of operations and he knows we're coming. He's planned for an attack like this. We've lost a lot of men trying to get to him already." So it was going to be on his turf huh? Shepard slightly hoped it was at his old pad. If it was, they could use the defense systems Shepard had installed. He only hoped Isaac would be there to help operate. If he wasn't, then Shepard would have to use the backup VI.

"It's going to be tough to get to him." Shepard crossed his arms, somewhat impressed. If Archangel had done that much damage with only himself and his team, without the defense system, then he was definitely skilled.

"Like chasing a vorcha out of the sewers pipes. But that's why we're recruiting. If we keep throwing fighters at him, we'll get to him eventually."

"So where is the attack taking place?" Shepard asked, hoping for an address.

"Like I said, Archangel's base of operations. He's been hiding right under our noses. I can't tell you exactly where we're going, but we'll get you there." That was a vague answer. Were they trying to make sure no one would interfere?

"Alright then. Where do we go?" He asked popping his knuckles. The batarian pointed outside.

"Just head over to the transport depot outside the club. One of our boys will take you from there." The recruiter turned to the terminal, "Send in the next one."

As Shepard and his group were walking out, a young man in his early twenties walked in. "Hey is this where I sign up?"

Shepard turned around abruptly. Getting a good look at him, Shepard knew he would be dead in the first few seconds of the fight. "You look a little young to be freelancing as a merc." Shepard duly ignored the little voice in his head saying, 'pot said to the kettle.'

"I'm old enough!" The young man said with indignation. At the defensive response, everyone else in the room looked at him now, even the recruiter. "I grew up on Omega. I know how to use a gun."

"So does Archangel." Jacob retorted followed by Zaeed's comment.

"Yeah. You know enough to get yourself killed." On that, Shepard certainly agreed. This kid was at his level when he was training with a gun back on Mindoir which wasn't much.

"It really wouldn't do you much good." Miranda added on.

"I can handle myself." The kid then pulled a pistol out, the only weapon he had apparently. It was worn and seemed to be in bad shape if one looked close enough. A defective pistol that had been cleaned up nicely to look brand new. "Besides, I just spent 50 credits on this pistol and I wanna use it!"

Shepard had enough of hearing this boasting. He grabbed the young man by the collar and pulled him until they were eye-to-eye. "Get your money back." He grabbed the kid's pistol before pushing him away.

"Hey, what are you-" Shepard hit the ejection port a couple of times to see sparks fly out. Just as he thought, the in-gun cooling tech was messed up. If he tried firing with this gun after inserting a thermal clip it would either expel a huge amount of heat without a single shot being fired or explode. Shepard's credits were on the latter.

"Trust me, kid. You'll thank me later." He handed the gun back before he and his team walked away.

The group got outside and made their way to the transport depot where another Blue Suns trooper was waiting with a cigarette in-hand.

"We're on the mission." Shepard stated. The trooper blew out a whiff of smoke.

"I hope you're ready, Archangel's been annihilating you freelancers." Shepard had near imperceptible smile.

"Oh, we're ready when you are."

* * *

The team was silent as their driver took them through multiple buildings. Some of them Shepard could remember, knowing that this was the way to his old home. After several minutes of silent flying they finally landed in familiar district. One that Shepard knew was very close to his old pad. The group of four got out of the car and heard the sounds of gunfire, explosions and yells of other mercs. The car took off most likely to go pick up more freelancers. As the car made a wider berth from the area another Batarian Blue Suns merc came walking up to them.

"It's about time they send me someone who looks like they can actually fight." Shepard could see that the Batarian was sizing him and his squad up. Shepard knew he and Zaeed looked formidable. Zaeed clad in his custom made yellow armor while Shepard was wearing pitch black N7 armor with a helmet for safety reasons. No need for a merc to recognize him by his face after all. Jacob's, while not as armored, still looked like actual armor. Miranda's however... well if she didn't have her SMG and pistol you wouldn't think she'd be a fighter.

"They tell you about you what we're up against?" The Batarian asked having finished his observation of the group.

"The recruiter was a little vague."

"We wouldn't get many hires if everyone knew the truth." Shepard raised a brow at the statement, "Archangel's holed up in building at the end of the boulevard over there. He's got superior position, and the only way is over a very exposed bridge. It's a killing ground." The merc jerked his thumb over his shoulder for emphasis.

Shepard had to suppress a groan from escaping his mouth. That was definitely his place then. It was the only building that had that kind of position in the whole district. That's why he had picked it in the first place! Seems like Archangel had picked his base just as carefully as he had.

"But he's getting tired, making mistakes. We'll have him soon enough."

"Now that we're here you will. We'll get to him. Just us point us to that bridge." Shepard replied with confidence. The merc smirked at him.

"I like your attitude, but we've got a plan in place." Oh. Figures they would.

"What's the plan?" Shepard asked hoping whatever he could get would help him.

"A small team is waiting to infiltrate his hideout, but we need to draw Archangel's fire so they can move in." Shepard was starting to see how this would go.

"And that's where we come in?" The merc nodded.

"Exactly, you'll be on a distraction team. Head straight over the bridge and keep Archangel busy so the infiltration team can sneak in behind him." Shepard's other brow rose to meet the first. Seriously? Shit.

"That's goddamn suicide." Zaeed said with a hint of a chuckle.

"I agree." Jacob added crossing his arms not sharing the Veteran's amusement.

The merc shrugged, "Pretty much. But you look like you can handle it." Giving an appraising glance at their weaponry before pointing at the archway down the street, "Head up to the boulevard and get to the third barricade. Talk to Sergeant Cathka. He'll tell you when to go in."

"Wait, where's the infiltration team now?" Shepard knew that if he could get to them before getting to Archangel that would make things much easier for them.

"On the far side of the bridge, near his hideout. But they can't get any closer without being seen." That put a wrench in his plan. He honestly hadn't expected that they would make it that far.

"How'd they get that close?" Was there a whole in the defense system he didn't know about? In fact was the defense system even on?

"More distractions. Tarak used a gunship to keep Archangel busy. We were able to sneak a few men into his hideout before he took it down, but they're stuck there. We need Archangel focused on the bridge so he doesn't find them and wipe them out." Wait, what?

"They were using a gunship against one guy?" That couldn't be. If they did though, he really hoped his place hadn't been too wrecked.

"Yeah - and Archangel shot it down. He didn't destroy it, but he knew just where to hit it to disable it. It wasn't even a fair fight. At least not for us." The merc muttered out at the end. Shepard really had to keep his pokerface on for that one. He was really starting to like this guy.

"Is the bridge the only way to his hideout?" Shepard knew it wasn't. There were underground tunnels that he had used before to make sure no one saw him arrive to his house as the actual Ghost. But apparently the mercs either didn't know or aren't using them.

"Yeah. Archangel collapsed all the underground passageways and sealed the doors to the lower levels. We've got teams digging, but it's taking too long. If they can get the gunship flying again, that'll help. But I'm hoping the infiltration team will finish the job and we can all go home."

"I better go talk to Cathka then." Shepard said knowing that would be all he could from this merc.

"Good idea. Watch yourself on the boulevard. Archangel's killed dozens out there already." The merc finished before moving away to greet other freelancers who were just arriving. The squad moved towards the stairs that lead further in.

"Well, we might have a way in, but getting out could be interesting." Jacob said from behind Shepard.

"Yes, that had occurred to me too. But since we're on the mercenary side at the moment why don't we see how we can _ease_ the situation into our favor." Miranda replied with a coy smile. One that Shepard was inclined to share.

"I couldn't have said it better myself, Miranda." As they closer to the barricades Shepard's comm suddenly buzzed.

"Shepard, I've scanned the area, but I am unable to plot any other paths to Archangel." EDI informed.

"Guess we're going with the mercs. Perfect." Shepard said as they passed the first barricade. He heard a bullet strike it out having been meant for one of the two eclipse mercs stationed on it.

"The heavy mechs and gunship possess considerable firepower. Weakening them before leaving will improve your chances." EDI's advice made Shepard grin.

"I'll do just that. Thank you, EDI." Shepard replied.

"You are welcome, Shepard." EDI said before the comm cut-out. Shepard looked over the barricade to see his old pad right at the end of the street the barricades had been constructed on. He cautiously got on it before taking out his M-92 Mantis Sniper and scoped it out to see Archangel.

It was just like in his dream: A turian clad in blue full body armor. Using the same kind of sniper rifle as himself too. T he blue armor looked like an heavy version of the Agent armor Garrus used to...

 _'No way.'_ Shepard thought, his thoughts unknowingly similar to the thoughts of said turian who had just seen him. Shepard quickly ducked down as a bullet hit the barricade. He got off of it before holstering his sniper onto his back.

"Did you see anything?" Jacob asked as they moved away from the barricade and into the makeshift base for the Eclipse mercs.

"A Turian in blue armor. Very good position in a sniper perch. I think I may have an idea on who he is, but I'll need to get closer to be sure." The group passed three Eclipse mercs sitting down at a table. Shepard hung back to listen in on the meeting. He paid extra attention to who was speaking. A salarian with red skin and white markings on his face.

"As the first wave goes in, the infiltration team will attempt to take Archangel by surprise. I don't expect much from the freelancers. When they fail, we're up next. The light mechs go in first. If that's not enough, we send in the heavy. Be prepared."

 _'Mechs huh? That could be a problem. But it could easily be made useful I suppose.'_ Shepard thought.

"Do you need something?" The question made Shepard look at the salarian to see him glaring at him.

 _'Oh shit.'_ "You lead the Eclipse?" was all he could get out.

"You figure that out by yourself?" He mocked, "I'm Jaroth. I run Omega's Eclipse. What do you need, freelancer?"

Shepard's eyes narrowed slightly. As the Ghost of the Terminus he had been responsible for dealing with the gangs, but not once had he met their bosses. He had never seen Jaroth before but the salarian was giving off a bad vibe.

"So the infiltration team is the main focus of the attack?"

"Tarak's plan, not mine. He doesn't want to lose any more men, so he's throwing you freelancers at the problem. Archangel's not going anywhere, so I suppose there's no harm in trying." Jaroth snorted, "Who knows-maybe you'll get lucky."

"What are you doing here?"

"Since you care so much, Eclipse controls almost 20 percent of Omega. Our transports and mechs keep the eezo moving." Shepard was impressed. For Eclipse to have even 10% let alone 20% of Omega was impressive since the size of the station was roughly 44.7 Km. The amount of men, mechs, and eezo had to be a moderately large amount.

"Sounds very organized."

"Eclipse runs like a well-oiled machine. But Omega is anything but organized. It's a constant battle for control." Jaroth stated with subtle pride. Shepard himself was inclined to agree to those last two statements. Jaroth's eyes gained a bitter glint to them as he continued.

"Then Archangel comes along and complicates things even more. Even that damn Ghost wasn't as troublesome as he is." Shepard had to refrain from smirking at the reference to himself.

"Why does Archangel give you so much trouble?" Shepard was still curious as to what exactly Archangel did stir up a hornets such as this.

"Ask him. I'm just here to make as much money as I can. We didn't come to Omega to be constrained by laws and regulations." Shepard almost rolled his eyes at that one.

 _'If Archangel is who I think he is, then he came here to do the same.'_

"He'll regret ever coming to Omega. I promise you." Shepard was somewhat surprised by the genuine hate that the salarian's voice held. It was almost as if Jaroth had a vendetta against Archangel.

"Seems like this is personal for you." In response to Shepard's statement, Jaroth stood out of his chair, leaned over the table towards him, voice oozing hate.

"He raided one of my transports last month. Killed two of my best operatives. One of them was my brother. So, yes, it's pretty damn personal." Shepard could understand Jaroth, and by extension Eclipse's stake in this fight now. He knew what that desire for vengeance was like. How it beckoned you to give in to your darker impulses. The only difference between Jaroth and himself was that Jaroth seemed to have been fully consumed by it.

"What do you know about Archangel?" Jaroth relaxed back into his chair schooling his features better at the question.

"His life expectancy is shortening quickly."

"Is that it? Nobody seems to know anything about him." Shepard had been hoping that they would know more but it seemed unlikely with Jaroth since all the salarian cared about was killing Archangel first. You would think a salarian would brush up on their enemy more.

"Look around, you'll learn what you need to know. He's smart. He's resourceful. And he's dangerous." There was an underlying tone of respect hidden in Jaroth's voice. So subtle that Shepard almost missed it. Jaroth's voice changed to one of slight smugness, "But we've got him cornered. He won't be making fools of us much longer."

"Now can I assist you further?" Jaroth made it sound like his patience was wearing thin, but Shepard thought that he could ask at least one more question before having to leave.

"Where did he come from? Who is he?"

"Even his team didn't know that." That surprised Shepard. Not so much that Archangel's team didn't know his identity, but that Jaroth, their enemy, knew it, "Maybe we'll know more once we have his body. Of course, it won't really matter by then."

"I'll get going. Thanks for the info." Shepard seeing as he wouldn't get anymore from the Eclipse leader. As he walked away, he heard Jaroth respond with, "Good idea."

Moving out of the room, the group entered a small hall. At the end of it were two doors. Shepard thought over the layout of the area and remembered that the door on the left had been one of those unused storage areas in the district. While he had been living around here it was always locked, but now it was open with a coded lock in place meaning it had been recently used. He motioned Miranda, Jacob and Zaeed to keep a look out for any merc who may pass by as he hacked it before quietly slipping in. Inside were over a dozen deactivated mechs that lined the walls on both sides. At the very back of the room was the heavy mech Jaroth and EDI had mentioned earlier. Shepard noticed the diagnostic station right next to it. Hooked in and everything.

With a devious smile, Shepard walked right over and proceeded to hack through the terminal's firewalls with little difficulty. Once through, he found the heavy mech's IFF and disabled it. Still smiling, he exited out and proceeded to leave the room. As he got to the door something on the table next to it caught his eye. A lone datapad was placed on it. Shepard grabbed it thinking it may have been possible numbers or something. He skimmed over it before his eyes widened and reread the contents. When he finished, his eyes narrowed dangerously. Those idiots thought they could team up against Aria?! For a salarian, Jaroth isn't that bright.

"Are there any mercs outside?" He radioed to his squad while keeping his Tactical Cloak ready. Before any of them could answer Shepard heard a vorcha from outside.

"Filthy humans." The vorcha snarled out. That was when Shepard sensed a biotic aura come next to Miranda and Jacob's own auras. Heavy footsteps sounded out from the other side of the door before coming to a stop.

"You're in the wrong place, freelancers." A deep menacing voice sounded out. It had to be a krogan.

"You the Blood Pack leader?" Zaeed's voice rang out. Blood Pack?

"Name's Garm. That's all you need to know." Shit! Garm! Of all the Blood Pack members that could walk into them it had to be their leader on this station?! "I'm stuck here waiting till you freelancers are done playing war."

"Huh." Zaeed scoffed. There was an incredibly low growling from what Shepard could hear. From Garm or the vorcha, he didn't know. Then the door began to chime. Oh no. He moved to the corner and activated his Tactical Cloak. The door opened and a huge krogan stepped through it. And Garm was not just any krogan. He was obviously a Battlemaster. Just like Wrex. Clad in his gang's blood red armor with chalk white skulls painted on his shoulder plates, Garm obviously looking around for something. For him. Shepard noted the weapon Garm was carrying. A M-300 Claymore shotgun. Shepard was not confident that his armor's defenses could handle that yet. As Garm walked forward a little more, Shepard managed to sneak out of the room and around his squad and Garm's vorcha to the adjacent hallway. Once out of sight Shepard deactivated his Cloak and walked back over to the group.

"Hey guys! I was wondering where you all went." Shepard said with false surprise. The group turned to him with mild surprise in return. Zaeed was suppressing a small smile having figured what Shepard had done. Jacob showed his surprise for a moment before schooling his features as best as he could. Miranda merely looked at him with a raised eyebrow. Shepard looked toward the room to see Garm come out studying him. Took the moment to study Garm's aura having seen his barriers were very high.

"Ask your questions and go." Garm said after a pregnant pause. Apparently he mistook Shepard's appraisal as curiosity. Not wanting to seem any more suspicious than he already did he went along with it.

"What are the Blood Pack doing on Omega?"

"We're the muscle on this bloody station. You need protection or want someone removed, talk to us."

"Really?" Shepard asked with false intrigue.

"The Blood Pack are everywhere on Omega. Everybody loves us, and everybody hates us."

"I'm guessing Archangel mostly just hates you." Shepard replied letting his usual persona seep through. Garm's eyes gained a very dangerous glint to them when he said that.

"He's just an uptight asshole, I don't really care what he thinks. But he's costing me men and making me work for my money." A dark smile came upon his face as he continued, "I'll be the one to take him out today... you watch. I'm the only one who's fought him one-on-one."

That caught Shepard's attention. If he asked, maybe it would give him some insight about Archangel or at least Garm's fighting style.

"You fought him?"

"He tried to take me down once. Waited till I was alone. Longest damn fight of my life, but I held him off till my men showed up. He wasn't so tough after that. We chased him over half of Omega. Almost had him, but the slippery bastard snuck away before we could pin him down." So Archangel was an ambusher as well as a tactical leader. But was that all Garm knew?

"What do you know about Archangel?"

"He's a pain in the ass. He's a turian which makes him slightly worse to look at then you. And he's brave..." Garm's smile became more smug, "till he realizes you're more than he bargained for." So nothing, just like Jaroth. Seeing that he wouldn't get anything more about Archangel, he wanted to see what the Blood Pack's role was to the plan of attack.

"So, when do the Blood Pack attack?"

"Damn Tarak wants us to wait. I hate waiting. But he says the Suns have a plan, and they don't want us getting in their way." Garm scoffed as if amused by the Blue Sun's strategy, "We're supposed to wait until the Eclipse send their mechs," Garm looked toward the room that held said mechs, "we'll see."

Shepard's eyes narrowed slightly. Either Garm was planning to go rogue or he was suspicious about the mechs. Further more he was starting to see that the Blue Sun's were the ones who were planning the whole thing. Shepard began to feel more and more unsettled by Garm. The krogan was a battlemaster, that was obvious, but whats more was that Garm was deliberately hiding how smart he was. Or maybe he was truly savage as to disregard nearly everything about Archangel.

"We should get going." Shepard signaled the others to follow as he left.

"About time." Garm muttered as they continued through the alley. Once safely out of hearing distance, Miranda spoke up.

"What did you manage to do?"

"I could only hack the heavy mech before Garm showed up. That'll slow them down at least."

"Perfect,. It'll be hostile if they activate it." They just exited the alley reaching the second barricade that two vorcha were using for cover. One of the vorcha was looking at a datapad with something akin to alarm before he was stuck by a sniper round. With a dying gurgle, he fell off it dead. The datapad fell out of his claw onto the ground with him. Shepard got a brief look at it to find that it was being hacked by someone else. Shepard had a faint idea of who might be behind it. He had to make sure that he didn't smile to make sure that no one would be on to him.

Suddenly a round struck his shoulder almost making his knees buckle. He ignored Miranda's concerned shout as he moved to the furthest wall.

"Shepard, are you all right?" Jacob asked. Shepard merely nodded as he waited for his kinetic barriers to replenish. The group kept to the left out of sight of Archangel's scope. They may have been here to rescue him, but he didn't know that. Though now that Shepard had a moment to think to himself why was he still alive? He knew that at the moment his barriers, which were at the forefront of his defenses with shields right behind it, were not much better than anyone else's. So why had they been completely drained and the shields that were waiting to take up the slack completely unscathed almost as if... the attack wasn't meant to kill! Archangel knew him! The group reached the third barricade which was manned by three freelancers and one that was using the wall for cover. Archangel scored the one in the middle at the back of his head.

"Look out!" The one on the wall said making the group huddle up to the wall.

"Hey, we're looking for Sergeant Cathka." Shepard shouted as more bullets rained on the third barricade. They stopped just as soon as they came.

"You and me both, pal." The freelancer replied. He nodded over to a makeshift hangar with a gunship stationed in it, "He's over there working on the gunship. We go over the bridge when he gives the word. Go talk to him if you want, but I'm in no hurry." The freelancer and the group moved further away from the barricade as several slugs shaved off some of it.

"Why haven't you talked to him?"

"Because I'm not stupid. This assault is damn dangerous." Was the snappy reply. Before Shepard could say anymore another one of the freelancers on the barricade had been killed causing the one he'd been talking to to shore up the barricade. Shepard turned around to address his squad just in time to see a Blue Suns trooper walk through the door near them. Shepard could just barely hear what had to be Tarak going, "I don't want excuses! Tell Cathka to get that gunship working, or he'll be next over that bridge!"

Shepard gestured to Miranda and Jacob to go over to the hangar while he made Zaeed follow him to where the Blue Suns had to be, "And somebody get me those damn blueprints. Now!"

The two came to a room filled with Blue Suns Commanders with Tarak at the head of the table. On the table was a holographic interface of Shepard's pad including the bridge. Tarak noted Shepard's presence.

"Get this freelancer out of here!" He grunted before looking back at the blueprints.

"What's your problem?" Shepard shot back making Tarak look at him again with death glare.

"You," He turned to the only Human Blue Suns Commander, a red haired woman, "Jentha-get this scum out of my face!"

"Tarak, what's eating your ass?" Zaeed spoke having come out from behind Shepard. Tarak's eyes gaze widened at Zaeed's appearance. Shepard could guess why since Zaeed was at the top of the Blue Suns chain of command so many years ago.

"Zaeed?" Tarak asked as if he didn't believe Zaeed was right there.

"I take it you two are acquainted?"

"We've crossed paths a few times." Tarak was noticeably more calmer now having seen Zaeed, "Since when do you work for so little?"

"Since when are you a goddamn madman?" Zaeed shot back.

"It's Archangel. This guy's gonna kill me! Almost did already." Tarak answered his voice more nervous now.

"That bad, huh?"

"Worse. Look, Zaeed. I gotta deal with this shit." Tarak waved his arm over the blueprints and battle plans that had been made up. Tarak finally looked back to Jentha, "Jentha, talk to these guys. Answer whatever questions they have." Tarak turned his attention to Zaeed once more, "Good to see you. And who knows-maybe you'll solve my problem for me."

"Anything's possible." Zaeed quipped. Jentha moved them over to a secluded corner away from the table before speaking.

"Good thing you know him. Tarak hates hiring freelancers. He doesn't trust anyone outside the Blue Suns."

"You don't say." Zaeed muttered.

"What can I do for you?"

"What do the Blue Suns do on Omega?" Shepard asked hoping to come of as someone interested in joining possibly. That and he had forgotten what exactly the Blue Suns did on Omega.

"We supply goods to a lot of the groups and factions here."

"Goods?" He should have won an Oscar for how he kept his voice under control. She had better not meant-.

"Weapons, mechs, machinery. You name it we can get it. We also broker deals between factions. You wouldn't know it to look at him now, but Tarak can be quite a negotiator." Okay. He wasn't going to have start shooting out the place just yet. So the Blue Suns were basically the Middle Man of Omega. So what exactly did Archangel do to them?

"How did Archangel get the Blue Suns so mad at him?"

"He harasses us and hounds us constantly. We worry that every job is a trap: Does he know where this meeting is? Will this shipment suddenly disappear? How many men will we lose this time. Tarak's had enough. I don't blame him."

"What do you know about Archangel?"

"He's a turian vigilante who thinks killing mercs is a fun way to pass the time. Other than that he's a mystery. He shows up, usually at the worst possible time, and screws with our work. He can't die soon enough if you ask me." Ah... how many people said that about himself when he was the Ghost of the Terminus? Shepard couldn't help but wonder if Archangel did what he did sometimes.

"Why do you hate him so much?"

"He went after Tarak... at his home. Almost got him." Jentha looked over at Tarak who was studying the blueprints again, "Tarak's been on edge ever since, and he's making my life a living hell. Second-guesses every damn thing I do. Getting the other merc bands to help us shows you how desperate he is. They're as bad as Archangel." So Archangel did do what he did sometimes. Though Shepard never got the slavers to coordinate against him. Then again... he never failed to kill a target. Speaking of failing...

"What's Tarak going to do if the infiltration team fails?"

"To start, he'll shoot any freelancers that are still alive. After that, he'll let the Eclipse and the Blood Pack take their shots. I suggested we work together, but he doesn't trust the other groups." Shepard could see why Tarak didn't trust the other groups, but it might be more than that.

"What if Archangel survives all the attacks? Then you Suns are on your own."

"That's why Tarak wants that Gunship fixed so badly. But it won't come to that." At Shepard's questioning stare, Jentha continued, "Archangel's good, but he can't hold out that long. He's already been in there over a day."

 _'Unless someone comes in to help him.'_ Shepard thought. But he knew what this plan was about now. Tarak was obviously afraid of Archangel while Jaroth and Garm were out for blood. Each one more than ready to tear into Archangel. Tarak is obviously using that to his advantage. By sending them first, he's making sure that they get their pound of flesh if they win. If they lose however, Archangel will obviously be weakened enough for the Blue Suns to swoop in and finish it with their gunship. Not to mention two major competing groups are taken out in the process.

 _'Bravo, Tarak. Bravo.'_ It was ingenious really now that Shepard figured it out. "Thank you for the info, but we need to get going."

With that, Shepard and Zaeed exited the room and made their way over to hangar, sprinting across the boulevard when the bullets came flying. Shepard relayed what he knew to Jacob and Miranda before going over to the group that was by the gunship. The gunship itself was shadowed as an electric arc flashed to life behind it. The squad approached the group of four mercs.

"Cathka?" Shepard prompted hoping one of them was Cathka. One merc jerked his thumb over to whoever was using the electric welder behind the gunship. Shepard ordered his team to stay where they were before moving near silently past the team and ducking underneath the gunship's wing. Upon getting to the back of the gunship, Shepard saw a Blue Suns Mechanic. The batarian looked at him with a dark tinted visor. One that was meant to protect the eyes from the harmful sparks of the electric welder.

"Sergeant Cathka." The mechanic corrected having heard him. Cathka tapped his visor twice, removing the tint and revealing two of his four eyes. The batarian regarded Shepard, before looking at his team and back again, "Ah... You must be the group Salkie mentioned. You're just in time."

"Salkie?" Shepard asked momentarily confused. He had passed by several Blue Suns on his way here and couldn't tell who might have noticed them.

"You met him when you were dropped off." Cathka nodded towards the outside, "He radioed ahead to say you were coming." Oh that merc that greeted them! That made sense. The batarian gave a meaningful glance at Shepard's armor, "You four kinda stand out from most freelancers."

Shepard had to agree with him on that. When looking at the other freelancers they were using outdated weapons and armor. He supposed that came with the territory of being a freelance merc. Shit jobs, shit pay.

"Anyway..." Cathka started again, "The infiltration team is about to give us the signal. Archangel won't know what hit him." Cathka's menacing undertone was foreboding to say the least. Cathka walked over to a terminal and table before placing the electric welder down and picking up a cigarette, lighting it, "Got any questions? This may be your last chance."

"So our plan is to jump the wall and head for Archangel's building?" Shepard asked somewhat skeptical about their chances.

"And try not to get killed too fast. You're only a distraction as long as you're alive." Well if that wasn't morbid, Shepard didn't know what was, "You don't have to make it all the way across. Just keep Archangel watching that bridge. The infiltration team will do the rest."

"And exactly how will the infiltration team get to Archangel?"

"They've got two options. They trap him in close quarters, and finish the bastard off face-to-face. If that doesn't work, they have explosives. They'll need time to set up." Cathka replied before taking a smoke. Shepard's eyes almost widened. They were planning to use explosives... on his place! Oh that was so not okay! Though the explosives were not the only things that could destroy his pad. Shepard glanced over to the gunship before looking back at Cathka.

"Are you going to give us cover with the gunship?" Shepard personally hoped they wouldn't get it flying anytime soon. Demolitions were one thing. A gunship was something worse.

"Ha." Cathka laughed, "Tarak is the only one who flies her. Besides she's not quite ready. That bastard Archangel gave her a beating last time she was out there." Cathka looked over the gunship with an analyzing glance, most likely looking for damaged areas or something, "A few more tweaks and she'll be good as new."

"Why are you coordinating the attack and fixing gunships?"

"I'm in the infiltration group. Our team coordinates with the gunship." The batarian took another breath of the nicotine before spewing out spoke, "I'm staying back to organize the freelancers and make sure the gunship's ready to go off if we need her."

Some of the smoke got in Shepard's face. Its smell was strong making him wave it away, "Are you leading the assault?" He was getting annoyed by this guy now.

"Ha!" Cathka laughed out loud more amused than anything else, "Tarak doesn't pay to fight. I just plan the attack and fix the damn gunship. You freelancers get the privilege of-"

Whatever he was going to say was cut off when the console next to them beeped. The image of the gunship was replaced a comm channel screen, "Target is in sight. We are a go."

Cathka tapped the the terminal button to open another channel, "Check. Bravo team-go, go, go!" A whirl of activity surrounded them as multiple freelancers gripped their weapons and began a renewed assault on Archangel's base. In no time at all Cathka, Shepard, and his team were the only ones left in the immediate area. Cathka turned to him with a smirk.

"Archangel's got a quite a surprise waiting for him. But that means no more waiting for me." He tapped his helmet and the opacity of his visor changed back to its previous shade. Cathka moved back to the gunship and began working on it again, "Got to get here back to one hundred percent before Tarak decides he needs her again."

Shepard looked over to the table next to him, specifically at the welder that Cathka left behind which was still sparking. With somewhat mixed feelings on what he was about to do, Shepard grabbed the welder and stepped up next to Cathka.

"Where did I put that omni-tool?" Cathka muttered before noticing Shepard.

"You're working too hard." Shepard said before he drove the tool into Cathka's back, electrocuting him. Cathka screamed, jerked and spasmed. The tool had gone right into his spine. Shepard glanced over the gunship. Without Cathka to patch it up, Tarak would be forced to use it as it is. Shepard only hoped it would be enough.

* * *

 **Okay, I'm sorry for not updating this for** **months, especially to all of you who were waiting for this specifically.**

 **Life is hard! Right now I'm taking Physics summer courses. And if you think physics during a regular semester is hard... try going through three chapters a week while having to take a test for it by the next one following that! And its not multiple choice! Not to mention that I've been trying to update this, but with the schedules I've been having to work in, I've only been able to update it little by little if at all!**

 **I'm really out of whack on these things and I'm sorry, but thats the truth. I'll try to update when I can, but I cannot give you a real date, because... I don't know what's going to happen.**

 **The next chapter will most likely bee shorter than this one. If that is the case, I will try merging them after posting them. I just thought that with everything, you guys deserved to get an update.**

 **Bye.**


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